The Mark of Athena
by Aria Taylor
Summary: Seven half-bloods shall answer the call. Who's the seventh? Will the Greeks and Romans get along? And Annabeth has a hard task ahead of her, one she doesn't think she'll survive. Secrets, betrayals, and love will all be revealed to those destined to play a part in the Prophecy of Seven.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1- Annabeth

Annabeth knew, the moment that Jason said he was sent as an exchange, her life would change forever. Her suspicions were confirmed when Athena visited her in a dream.

In her dream, Annabeth was standing in a completely white room. She appeared to be the only one there, but then a voice sounded behind her. "Annabeth."

Annabeth whirled around. Behind her was a beautiful lady with lush brown hair and sparkling gray eyes. She wore a white, flowing dress with diamonds embedded in it. "Mom."

"My dear, I don't have much time. You must know something. The quest relies on you."

"What quest?" Annabeth asked.

"I cannot tell you. But I can tell you this: you are the seventh. You have a hard task ahead of you. A task that most people can't survive."

"What's my task?"

"Read the marks. Only the wisest of my children can see them. The marks will lead you to your destination, but it will also lead the enemy."

"And if the enemy gets there?"

"Then all else will fail. I must go now. Zeus will be angry. Remember, Annabeth, you are the wisest and strongest of my children. Believe in yourself, and you can do anything." With that, Athena was gone.

Now, Annabeth was standing on the deck of the Argo ll, staring at the ground. Her uneasiness about the conversation with her mother had completely vanished as they neared the Roman camp. All she could think about was Percy. Percy. Oh, how Annabeth longed for her long lost boyfriend. She missed his his laugh, the way his eyes lit up whenever he saw her, how his eyebrows got all scrunched up whenever he was worried. Annabeth was so distracted, she didn't hear Piper come up behind her.

"Annabeth?"

Annabeth turned around. "Hey, Piper."

Piper came and stood next to Annabeth against the rail. "Are you ready?"

Annabeth knew what she meant. _Are you ready to see Percy again?_ "To be honest Piper, I'm not. What if the Romans killed him? What if he went on a quest and died? What if he forgot about Camp Halfblood? What if he forgot about me?"

"Annabeth, I can't do anything about the memory problem, but I can tell you that he'll take one look at you and be on his knees, begging for you to be his girlfriend."

"Thanks," Annabeth replied, attempting a smile.

Just then, Leo's voice boomed throughout the ship, saying, "Supreme Commander of the Argo ll, here! Just wanted to tell you that we'll be landing in two minutes! TWO MINUTES!" Annabeth walked over to the edge of the boat. They were two minutes away from the Roman camp. Two minutes away from Percy. She just stood there, shaking nervously. Piper tried to comfort her, but her words were just garbled in Annabeth's ears. She stayed that way until the Argo ll got it's first glimpse of the Roman camp.

(*********)

Annabeth led the small group of Greek demigods off of the ship. She looked around at the battle-stricken warriors, looking for one face in particular.

Two people in togas stepped forward. One was a girl with long black hair and very dark eyes. She looked strangely familiar, but Annabeth couldn't place where she had seen her before. She moved on to study the boy. He was tall with shaggy black hair and seaweed green eyes. Annabeth's heart skipped a beat. Those were the very eyes that distracted her everytime she looked at him and the hair that he was always so concerned about.

The boy was Percy Jackson.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2- Annabeth

Annabeth didn't know what she wanted Percy to do. Run up to her and wrap her in his arms or at least smile at her. But Percy just stared ahead, not even glancing at her.

Jason stepped off the boat and looked around nervously. "Uh, hey guys," he said nervously. He had his hands in his pockets and Annabeth could slightly see a bead of sweat on his brow. At least she wasn't the only one having panic attacks.

The group of Romans sat in stunned silence, staring at Jason. It was like they couldn't believe he was alive. Which was probably true.

Suddenly, the girl in the toga spoke, "Welcome back, Jason." Her voice caught a little when she said Jason's name. Annabeth glanced at Piper. Her face was expressionless, but Annabeth knew she was jealous.

The girl continued, "Welcome Greeks, as well." She turned to face the Romans. "The Greeks are not our enemies, so they will be treated as family. If not, it will result in harsh punishment. The war games are tonight after dinner. There will be a meeting at four. Everyone who plays a part in the prophecy needs to be there. Dismissed."

Half the Romans turned and walked towards a beautiful city, while the other half came and introduced themselves to the Greeks, mainly Jason. Annabeth, Piper, Leo, Thalia, and Grover stood around awkwardly, unsure of what to do.

Out of nowhere, Percy came up and tackled Grover in a bear hug. "Sup, G-man! Miss me?"

Grover replied, "More than you think! I didn't have anyone to complain to about how they should serve enchiladas at camp!"

Percy laughed and moved on to Thalia. "How you doing, Pinecone Face?"

"If you call me that one more time, I'll make sure my father sends an unnatural lightning storm to destroy you on your next quest," Thalia replied angriily.

"Nice to see you again too," Percy muttered, moving on to Leo. "And this is-"

"Leo Valdez, Supreme Commander of the Argo ll, fire-user, and unresistably gorgeous."

"Fire-user?" Percy asked, impressed.

"Yeah, I'm cool like that," Leo said, like it was no big deal.

Percy walked over to Piper. "Hi, I'm-"

"Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, leader of Camp Half-Blood. I'm Piper McLean, daughter of Aphrodite."

Percy was surprised. "How do you know that?"

"Annabeth. She never keeps quiet about you. You pick up a lot when you start when you're friends with her."

"Well, that's all correct, except for maybe the leader part." Percy moved on to the one person he hadn't said hi to yet: Annabeth.

Percy walked up to her casually. Annabeth started to fix her hair and straighten her shirt madly, but when she looked up, her eyes got lost in those sea green ones. "Hey, Annabeth," Percy said. Annabeth ran up to him and wrapped her arms around him. Percy faked a grunt, but eventually his strong arms were wrapped around her too. Percy whispered in her ear, "I never forgot you." Annabeth lifted her head out of Percy's shoulder and pressed her lips against his. This one kiss sent a warm feeling through her body that drained the exhaustion and hurt and worry from her. She thought she heard Piper sigh.

When the couple broke apart, Percy took Annabeth's hand and introduced his two friends that Annabeth hadn't noticed before. "This is Frank Zhang, son of Mars/Ares." Annabeth couldn't believe he was a son of Ares. The boy was big and bulky, but he had a face that resembled a baby. Annabeth would never think he was a child of Ares, judging by appearances.

"And this is Hazel Levesque, daughter of Pluto/Hades." This girl was small and petite, but she looked strong. She was tan and had dark, curly hair. Annabeth knew they were going to be good friends.

"Hi, I'm Annabeth, daughter of Athena, or Minerva," Annabeth introduced herself.

"Hi," Hazel said.

"All right," Percy said. "I have yet to meet Jason."

"Oh, c'mon," Annabeth pulled Percy along. "I'll introduce you."

(*********)

"Jason?" Annabeth asked. Her and Percy had finally gotten through the mob of Romans surrounding Jason. "There's someone who wants to meet you."

Jason turned around. "Oh you must be-"

"Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon. And you're Jason Grace. Your camp worships you."

Jason laughed. "As does yours."

"Well, I need to give the others a tour. Want to come with us?" Percy asked.

"Sure." Together the three fought through the crowd and walked back to the others.

"Ok, guys. You probably need a tour. Frank and Hazel, you can take all of them. I'll take Annabeth." Everyone nodded and walked off, leaving Percy and Annabeth alone. Percy took Annabeth's hand. "First things first: I've gotta change out of this toga. Then we can talk about eveything that's happened at camp since I've left."


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you to those who reviewed! It means a lot to me!

I don't own PJO or HoO. Rick Riordan does.

I'm sooooooooooooooo sorry for the wait! I've been super busy and I've been suffering from writer's block. Which explains the awful chapter you're about to read. I promise I won't ever take that long again! I'll try to post every weekend, but probably not this weekend unless some miracle happens because I have a HUGE project due on Monday. Sorry!

Please read and review! Your reviews make my day! I accept praise or criticism!

Chapter 3- Percy

Percy walked out of his barrack feeling better than ever. So many great things had happened in the past couple of days. He had killed a giant, Annabeth, he got his full memory back, Annabeth, the Greeks and Romans seemed to be getting along, and, oh, did he mention Annabeth?

Percy found Annabeth sitting on the porch of his barrack, her arms wrapped around her knees, eyes tightly shut, and her lips moving, as if she were praying. Percy just stood in the doorway and stared at her. Zeus, she was beautiful. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail with loose curls falling in her face. She had bags under her eyes, making her look like she hadn't slept in days. She had a perfect tan and looked strong- yet there was something that wasn't quite right about her. She seemed...confused, lost, and, maybe, a little frightened. That wasn't Annabeth. Percy walked over to her.

"Hey," Percy said.

Annabeth looked up, startled. "Oh, it's you." She scooted over giving Percy room on the bench to sit.

"So," Percy said, "are you okay? You seemed a little worried when I walked out here."

"I'm fine," Annabeth said a little too quickly. "Just tired. After all, I have lost many hours of sleep worrying that you'd get yourself killed by doing something stupid. I wasn't here to protect you."

Percy mocked hurt. "Me? Getting killed by doing something stupid? Are you sure you're not talking about someone else?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "So anyway, what happened while you were you gone? How many times did you almost die?"

"You'll see at dinner. We'll probably explain everything then."

They were silent for a few minutes, when suddenly Annabeth spoke up. "Why does that girl in the toga look at me like I just punched her grandmother?"

Percy laughed. "You mean Reyna?" Annabeth nodded. "Do you remember the Sea of Monsters?"

"Yeah."

"Well, when we were at Circe's island, Reyna was one of the employees. When we unleashed the pirates, they took over the island. Reyna and her sister, Hylla, barely escaped and separated. Reyna came here and Hylla is queen of the Amazons."

"So you mean those guinea pigs we rescued took over the entire island?" Annabeth looked shocked. "I didn't mean to hurt the workers. I was just trying to rescue you."

"You did a good job of it. Anyway, Reyna has forgiven me and she'll probably forgive you if you talk to her."

Annabeth nodded. "I'll talk to her later."

The couple talked for about another hour, Annabeth teasing Percy and Percy trying and failing to defend himself. Finally, Percy stood up and held out his hand. "C'mon. We don't want to be late for the meeting."

(*********)

Percy lead Annabeth to the Pomerian Line where they ran into Terminus.

"Oh, it's Percy Jackson. Did you tell your Greek friends how the great god Terminus defeated Polybotes single-handedly?"

Percy rolled his eyes. " I helped you. Anyway, Terminus, this is Annabeth, daughter of Athena, official architect of Olympus, and my girlfriend." Percy laughed when Annabeth turned as red as a fire engine.

"Well, you certainly got lucky. She is beautiful," Terminus whispered to Percy. Annabeth turned even redder. Suddenly, Terminus called out, "Where is my assistant? Julia!"

Julia ran over and gave Percy a hug. She smiled shyly at Annabethand held out her tray.

Percy and Annabeth handed over their weapons, Annabeth reluctant at first, but when she saw Julia's missing front teeth, she handed her knife over.

When they were out of earshot, Annabeth asked, "What did Terminus mean when he said that he defeated Polybotes with your help?"

"Right before you came, there was a big battle. Tyson told you right?"

Annabeth nodded. "And I guess Polybotes was the leader?"

"Yeah. And you know how only a god and demigod can defeat a giant together? Well, Terminus and I defeated him. But I did all the fighting, since, well, you know, Terminus has no arms." Annabeth smiled.

Percy looked at her. "Why are you laughing at me?"

"I'm not. It's just funny. You defeated the bane of Neptune, or Poseidon, and you're acting like it's no big deal."

"Because it isn't!"

Annabeth laughed and bumped Percy with her shoulder. "It is, Seaweed Brain!"

"Whatever."

(*********)

The two walked in just in time. Everyone turned to watch them as they entered. Reyna looked at Annabeth and said coldly to both of them, "Well, nice of you to join us."

Annabeth let go of Percy's hand and walked over to Piper, Jason, and Leo. Percy walked over to the praetor's seat and slouched down. Jason gave him a look that said, _what are you doing?_ Percy smiled and shook his head. He'd talk to him later. Right now, he had work to do.

Reyna stood up and said, "As you know, we are here to talk about the Prophecy of Seven. Octavian, if you would."

Octavian stood up and recited, "_Seven half-bloods shall answer the call, to storm or fire the world must fall. An oath to keep with a final breath, and foes bear arms to the Doors of Death._ Praetor Reyna, I believe that this means-"

"That the Greeks and Romans must unite and close the Doors of Death," Percy interrupted. Octavian glared at him, but Percy kept going. "And I know who the seven mentioned in the prophecy are." He looked at Reyna. "May I?" She nodded. "Okay. The seven are Jason, Piper, Leo, Hazel, Frank, myself, and Annabeth." Percy glanced nervously at Annabeth. She just smiled sweetly at him, but quickly looked away. Percy wondered why, but immediately stopped. Annabeth was a strong person and if she wanted to tell him what she was worried about, she would. No use in pressuring her.

Reyna said, "So you want those seven to go on a quest together to close the Doors of Death? What about Gaea?"

"We'll stop her too," Percy said.

Reyna nodded. "Looks like you have this all figured out. We must issue a quest and the seven will go on it. " Reyna looked at Percy. "Do you need anyone else to go with you?"

"No. I think we are the only ones meant to go on the quest," Percy replied.

"Very well. Will you drop off the Greeks on your way there?"

"Yes. Plus, I kind of want to see my old friends and family."

Jason spoke up. "Uh, Percy. I know you want to see your friends and all, but shouldn't we get started on this quest. It's kinda important and we don't have time to stop for chit chat."

Percy looked at him. "I know, Jason. But if you had been gone for eight months, wouldn't you want to see your family and friends again?" Jason sat back down.

"The seven will leave tomorrow morning," Reyna said. "Everything will be prepred for them today. Dismissed." And with that, The meeting adjourned.

Percy caught up with Annabeth, Jason, Piper, Leo, Frank, and Hazel. "Come on. Let's go eat dinner and swap quest stories and all." The seven made their way to the mess hall talking and laughing.

Once they sat down, aurae brought them all dinner. Jason got a cheeseburger, Leo a king size pizza, Piper a tofu taco, Hazel some shrimp gumbo, Frank a sub sandwich, Annabeth a slice of cheese pizza, and Percy a cheeseburger with blue soda. Percy had recently remembered why he liked blue things: it was his favorite color and his mom always went out of her way to make everything blue. He smiled remembering his mom. He loved the way she smiled and how she always encouraged him when he was down. She was probably worried sick about him. Percy could hardly wait to see her.

"Attention Romans!" Reyna yelled across the mess hall. Everyone turned to look at her. "Tonight's war games are going to be different. We're going to play two different games. I'll tell you what they are after we finish eating."

Jason turned to look at Percy. "What's the two games? The regular Roman games and..."

Percy smiled. "Capture the flag."

I hope you guys liked it! Here's a verse for you:

"Don't be concerned about the outward beauty that depends on fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should be known for the beauty that comes within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. That is the way the way the holy women of old made themselves beautiful. They trusted God..." 1 Peter 3:3-5(NLT)


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys! So who's read the first chapter of the Mark of Athena? I have! It's awesome!

I don't own PJO orHoO. I wish I did!

I'm sorry for not posting for, like, more than a month. I feel so bad. I'm a teacher's kid so I was at school for like forever! But now that school is out, I can post more often! Yeah!

Now, on with the story!

Chapter 4- Percy

"So Jason," Percy said, "did you, Piper, and Leo go on a quest or something?"

Jason nodded and went right into explaining how the three of them were sent on a quest right when they arrived at camp. He explained how they had to find out where Hera was.

"I personally think they should have just left her where she was," Annabeth butted in. "Hera totally deserved it."

"Then you wouldn't have found me," Percy teased.

"We would've found you one way or another. And besides, it wasn't Hera who found you, if I remember correctly. It was Tyson." Percy was silent after that remark. Jason went back to explaining their quest.

Percy raised an eybrow when he heard Festus' name. "Your dragon was named Happy the Dragon?"

Leo glared at him. "You got a problem with that?"

"No, no. Please carry on with the story." But Percy could hardly contain his laughter.

When Jason got to the part about Piper's dad, Piper tried not to look at Percy. "Your dad is Tristan McLean? The movie star?" Percy asked.

"Yeah," Piper said quietly. Jason continued.

"And then we got back, and started building the Argo ll," Jason finished.

"Wow," Percy said in awe. "Looks like you guys had some adventure."

"That's an understatement," Leo said. Piper punched him.

"Hey," Jason realized something. "How do you have your full memory back and I don't?"

"Yeah," Annabeth agreed. She was staring at Percy expectantly.

Percy glanced nervously at Annabeth. "Um, well, cute story actually. Uh..."

"What you'd do?" Annabeth asked impatiently.

"Well, uh, let me start from the beginning. You see, I was running from these gorgons. I didn't know who I was or where I was from. The only thing I could remember-as cheesy as it sounds- was Annabeth. The gorgons were on my tail, when I ran into this hippie bag told me I had to make a choice. I could either go to the sea and start a whole new life, or I could carry her to camp. Obviously, I chose the second choice. I picked up the lady and ran right into Frank and Hazel, who were guarding the enterance to camp." Percy went on to explain how the lady turned out to be Juno and claimed him as the son of Neptune.

"That night, Mars came and claimed me as his son," Frank said. "Hazel, Percy, and I were sent on a quest the next day. Death had been captured and we had to go save him." Frank explained everything up to the part about Phineas. He looked at Percy.

"Here's the part about my memory," Percy said. "There was this guy, Phineas." He explained their whole encounter with him, then looked at Annabeth nervously. She looked mad.

"You know that almost killed you, right?" she said. "You could've died."

"But I'm still here right?" Percy looked right into her eyes and gave her a little dopey grin that he knew she couldn't resist.

Annabeth smiled and rolled her eyes. "Percy has a knack for getting himself nearly killed."

Percy laughed in response and continued with the story. When he finished, Jason, Piper, and Leo just stared at Percy, Hazel, and Frank. "Wow," Leo said. "I mean, Percy, I've heard that you were awesome, but I didn't actually believe it until now!"

"Thanks," Percy said. "I think."

Annabeth stood up. "Come on, guys. Everyone's going to go pick teams for the war games. We should get going."

(*********)

Capture the flag was going to be vicious. Annabeth had quickly come up with a brilliant stragety for their team. Naturally, the Seven had the hardest jobs.

Jason, Piper, and Leo were going to be the distraction for the defenders. Frank and Hazel were going to lead the surprise attack on the other team. Meanwhile, Annabeth and Percy were going to silently get the flag while the opposing team was distracted.

While the team was getting ready, Percy walked up to Jason. "Dude," he said, "you ready for the game?"

Jason nodded. "Oh yeah. I'm ready to kick some _podex_."

Percy smiled. "Ditto. Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about praetor. You can have that spot back if you want it. I never wanted it, and I think Reyna wants you back as praetor also. Plus, I kinda want my leadership back at Camp Half-Blood. So...deal?"

Jason smiled. "Deal."

Annabeth came up right then and said, "Come on Percy. The game is about to start." She dragged Percy away to their position.

"What were you and Jason talking about?" Annabeth asked.

"I asked him if he wanted his spot of praetor back," Percy replied.

"And what did he say?"

"He said yes."

"Good." Annnabeth smiled. Percy missed seeing her smile.

"You're armor is crooked," Annabeth said as she lifted her hands to fix it.

Percy smiled. "Just liked old times, Wise Girl."

"Whatever, Seaweed Brain." Just then, a horn sounded, signaling the beginning of the game.

"Come on, Perce. Let's go capture a flag."

I know, I know. It was an awful, boring, short chapter. I promise the next one will be better! And longer!

So anyway, my birthday is coming up so I can't promise a new chapter in the next week, but I can promise I will try!

Please review! Criticism is accepted!

Here's the verse: The person who knows My commandments and keeps them, that's who love Me. And the person who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and make Myself plain to him. John 14:21


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed! You are now all my best friends! Love ya!**

**Disclaimer: Do I look like Rick Riordan? (Well, you can't exactly see me so that line backfired...I'm not Rick Riordan!)**

Chapter 5- Jason

_Protect her, Jason Grace. You're her only hope. Protect my daughter._

Aphrodite's words rang in Jason's ears ever since the goddess visited him.

They were on the Argo ll, schedueled to arrive at Camp Jupiter the next day. Jason couldn't go to sleep, so he got up to go to the deck to think. He shuffled around, putting on his shoes and grabbing his hoodie, trying not to wake Leo.

When he got to the deck, he felt refreshed, as he always did when he was outside, feeling the wind in his face. He sat down on a bench with cussions on it. He started thinking about his home, wondering if they replaced him, wondering if they were still worried about him. Suddenly, there was a beautiful lady standing in front of him. No, beautiful didn't even begin to describe her. She was wearing a long white Greek-style dress and had long, curly, golden hair that was swept to one side, leaving one shoulder bare and the other with a mob of curls. Her skin was perfect; tan, not one imperfection. Her eyes were...well, Jason couldn't figure out the color of her eyes. They were kaleidoscope, like Piper's. She didn't seem to be wearing make-up, but she had to be because nobody was that beautiful on their own...

Then, it hit Jason. The lady was Aphrodite. _That's why she looks so much like Piper,_ Jason thought, then blushed. He realized he had just called Piper beautiful.

"Hello, Jason," Aphrodite said. Her voice was sweet and soft. It made Jason feel like he was melting. This lady was talking to _him_.

"Uh, um, duh," was all Jason managed to get out.

The goddess smiled. Jason's jaw dropped. Her teeth were_ perfect._ "Oh dear. Too much?" She gestured to her hair and outfit. "Sorry. This is what I usually wear on Olympus." She snapped her fingers and was immediately transformed into a hoodie, skinny jeans, and gray boots. Her hair was tied back into a loose ponytail. "Better?"

Jason nodded. "Yeah."

"Okay," the goddess continued, "First, I'm here to help you with your conflict over Piper and Leyna."

"Reyna," Jason said, still in a trance.

"Whatever. Anyway, I'll give you some guidance, but not much. Piper is my daughter, after all, and I can't meddle in my daughter's love life too much. Second, I'm here to talk about my Piper. She's in danger."

Jason fully left his trance when he heard that. "What? How? Will she be okay?"

Aphrodite shook her head. "I do not know if she will be all right in the end. And I cannot tell you how she will be in danger. But you must protect her."

"How can I protect her if I don't know what I'm protecting her from?"

"You will know when the time comes." Thunder rumbled in the distance. Aphrodite sighed and turned to Jason. "That's my cue. I must get going."

"Wait!" Jason called out. "Can you at least give me a hint?"

Aphrodite looked at him, her eyes filled with sympathy. "It will happen in Rome. Protect her Jason Grace. You're her only hope. Protect my daughter." And with that, the goddess of love was gone.

Now, every time he looked at Piper, Aphrodite's voice entered his mind.

_Protect her._

Jason vowed to do just that.

(*********)

"Come on, Jason," Piper said, pulling Jason out of his flashback. "The game jut started."

_Protect her._

_Shut up, Aphrodite,_ Jason thought. He was going to enjoy this game and not think about how Piper's life was in his hands. Jason glanced at Reyna, who was flying her pegusus, Scipio. He was still trying to figure out if there was something beteen them. There might have been, but now Piper was in the picture.

Piper, who's eyes lit up whenever she saw him. Piper, who's kaleidoscope eyes distracted him everytime she was around. Piper, who's life depended upon him.

Jason ran to the position Annabeth had assigned him: one of the distractions. Piper, Leo, and him were the distractions so Frank and Hazel could lead the surprise attack. Then Annabeth and Percy were going to get the flag.

Percy.

Jason's heart hardened at that name. That's all he had been hearing for the past eight months. Percy this, Percy that. Then Jason came home, where he was the super star, where he was leader, to find out Percy stole that from him. Stole his old position and old friends. Percy stole his old life.

Jason tried to shake that feeling off. He tried to act like he liked Percy, when, to be honest, he was jealous. Jason Grace was jealous of Percy Jackson.

Jason spotted the huge fortress in no time. He pulled out his coin**(was that what it was? I couldn't remember) **andflipped it. When he caught it, he was holding a perfectly balanced, Imperial Gold sword. Jason smiled evilly. "Let's go get 'em," he whispered to himself and charged.

(********)

Jason ran as fast as he could, wind whipping in his face, hair flying. He felt completely alive.

When Jason got to the wall, the guards started yelling and pointing, hen readied their weapons. There were only three guards. Easy peasy, mac 'n cheesy.

Jason got up the wall and started fighting like a whirlwind. He twisted the sword out of the first guy's hand and hit him with the butt of his sword. The second guy was a bit tougher. He was a good fighter. But Jason was better. He stabbed his sword at the guy and it grazed his shoulder just enough to make him drop his sword and grab at his shoulder. Jason then kicked him in the stomach, causing him to fall down. Jason moved on to the last guard. It was a girl with long blonde hair and blue eyes. She eyed him and then stabbed. He quickly stopped it, but with a grunt. Man, this girl was strong. They kept on fighting, the girl stabbing and Jason stopping it before it hurt him. Finally, Jason saw his chance. The girl lifted her arm up to stab Jason and Jason sidestepped and brought his sword to her arm and slashed. The girl cried out in pain as the sword made contact with her skin. She fell down clutching her arm. Jason ran past her and into the fortress.

A battle was raging on inside. Jason spotted Piper battling a big, burly guy. The guy kept stabbing at her, but she was too quick. She ran to the side and slashed at him. The guy collapsed and Piper realized Jason was right there. "Hey," she said.

"Nice," Jason said, gesturing to the guy on the ground.

Piper smiled. "Thanks. Now come on." She ran off to go fight some more. Jason smile and ran after her.

While Jason was fighting, he caught a glimpse of blonde and black hair. He knew immediately that it was Percy and Annabeth. He knew it was almost time to retreat. He got Frank's attention and signalled that it was time to call the retreat. Frank nodded and called out, "RETREAT!" The entire team ran as fast as they could to the creek. When they got there, they spotted Percy and Annabeth running as fast as they could towards the creek as if their lives depended on it. Percy had the flag in his hand. The entire team started cheering them on. All of a sudden, a guy from the other team jumped in front of them. Percy uncapped a pen, which turned into a sword. Annabeth drew her knife. The couple looked at each other and smiled, making the guy nervous, wondering what they were planning. Then Annabeth ran at the guy and the two started fighting. Annabeth was just like Piper: quick. She easily got away from the other guy. Then she turned on him and started fighting. Annabeth fought like whirlwind, slashing and stabbing and deflecting and pushing. All the Romans on their team just stared in awe at her skill. Percy started running toward the creek again, flag in hand. Suddenly there was a cry coming from Annabeth. Jason turned his eyes from Percy to see what happened. The guy from the other team was standing above Annabeth, with a bloody sword in his hand. Annabeth was clutching her stomach.

"Annabeth!" Percy yelled. By now, he was all ready across the creek. Jason's team had won. But the cheers quickly died down when everyone saw Percy run to Annabeth's side. She was on the ground, trying to get up. Jason ran over there in time to see Percy lift up Annabeth's shirt only enough to see the wound. It wasn't a deep wound, only about half an inch deep. But it was bleeding furiously. Perct tore off part of his shirt and started soaking up the blood. When most of the blood was gone, he let out a relieved breath. "It's not too bad, Annabeth. You'll be fine once we get some ambrosia and nectar in you." Percy looked up at Jason. "Hey Jason, would you mind getting some ambrosia and nectar for Annabeth?"

That was the last thing Jason wanted to do, but it was for Annabeth. "Sure."

He found some ambrosia in his on the Argo ll and some nectar from an Apollo kid. "Thanks," he told the kid, and ran off.

"Here you go." Jason broke off a piece of ambrosia and handed it to Annabeth. "Eat this," he told her. She did as she was told and the wound started to look the tiniest bit better, but it still wasn't healed all the way. Jason opened the canteen of nectar and trickled some on Annabeth's wound. Annabeth yelped and grabbed Percy's hand. The more nectar Jason poured on Annabeth's stomach, the tighter she squeezed Percy's hand. Percy winced.

"There you go," Jason said as he stopped pouring the nectar. "Your gash is closing up." Annabeth nodded. The color was returning to her face. Percy gently caressed Annabeth's hand. He looked a bit shaken up. Jason couldn't blame him. He had just gotten his girlfriend back and she about died in a game of Capture the Flag.

Annabeth slowly got up, Percy trying to help her, but she would just glare at him and hiss, "I'm fine, Percy. I don't need your help." Jason smiled. Annabeth hated looking weak. Yet Jason could see that faint smile on Annabeth's lips. She missed yelling at Percy.

The Seven walked out of the woods and towards the barracks. Jason almost started towards the praetor's house, when he thought bitterly, _Percy probably stole that from me, too._ He walked with the rest of the group to the barracks.

When they got there, Percy turned towards Jason with a look that said, _I'm so dumb!_

"Jason, you can sleep in the praetor's house if you want. I kinda forgot to tell you when we passed by. I'm really sorry. But really, it's technically your's since we switched leaderships and stuff..."

Oh yeah.

"No, that's fine. I'll just sleep in the barracks tonight," Jason said.

"Sounds good to me," Percy said. He turned to everyone else. "Girls are in that barrack on the left and guys on the right."

Annabeth turned to Percy and gave him a quick kiss and was about to walk away, when Percy grabbed her wrist and pulled her into a big hug. They seemed afraid to lose each other again.

Frank and Hazel just gave each other a hug, both turning pink. Hazel pulled away and looked at Leo like he just dropped from Mars. That seemed to confuse Leo, so he started wiping his face and fixing his hair, wondering if something was wrong with it.

Jason turned to Piper. They locked eyes. Jason's heart sped up a little. "Good night," Piper said.

"Yeah," Jason replied. "Good night."

Piper walked away. looking disappointed. Jason couldn't blame her. He was too. Why did things have to be so complicated? Why couldn't his love life be more like Percy's? Jason marched into the guy's barracks and laid down on an empty bed and fell asleep only to have worst dream ever.

**Mwahaha! Cliffhanger! Oh great, now I feel bad...just kidding! I really don't!**

**I posted a new story called Percabeth Moments. It's just a collection of one-shots about everyone's favorite couple...Percabeth! Go check it out!**

**Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! Guess what? I'm alive! I know right? Big shocker! I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while. I feel really bad. But here I am!**

**It's been brought up that Jason lost his sword at the end of the last chapter. Wow, that sounded really professional! Anywho, thanks for bringing that up! Let's just say Jason still has his sword, that way I don't have to add a part where he has to go find his sword and stuff. Okay? Okay. Now, on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: I'm not Rick Riordan. *sob***

Chapter 6- Jason

Jason was in a sparkling cavern. Various jewels were embedded in the walls. Perfect diamonds lay on the ground. There was a small pond filled with pure water that reflected off all of the gems. A small waterfall flowed into the pond. A peach tree stood on the bank of the pond, it's branches swaying in the wind. Jason gasped in awe at the beauty of the cavern. He had to keep himself from sticking his feet in the pond or reaching out and snatching a peach from the tree. _It could be magic,_ he told himself._ One bite and you're stuck here forever._ But at that moment, staying there forever didn't seem like such a bad idea. In fact, Jason almost did grab one, but a raspy, ancient voice stopped him.

_Jason Grace._

Jason whirled around. Standing there was a lady in robes made out of dirt. Her face was covered by a veil, but Jason could tell that she was asleep. A cold chill ran down Jason's spine. Goosebumps appeared on his arms. The room suddenly became freezing. "Gaea."

_Don't touch the fruit. If you take one bite, it will incinerate you. And I can't have a valuable pawn dead before they do their job._

"What do you want, Gaea?"

_I come to give you a warning. Your little girlfriend is going to die if you don't surrender._

"What?" Jason cried, startled.

_And you are destined to watch her die, not able to do anything. Her screams will be seared in your mind. The image of her lifeless body will walk with you forever. You will have to live life knowing her death is your fault because you didn't prevent it._

Jason shook his head. "No. No, I _will _prevent it. She will not die!"

_Oh, but she will. Along with Athena's brat, Annabeth. Just look and see for yourself. _

Gaea's crooked finger pointed to a shimmering image above the pond. It showed a burning city, smoke rising up to the sky, making it hard to see. Then Jason saw a girl with choppy brown hair lying on the ground, screaming. He recgonized her as Piper. "Help me!" she screamed. "Somebody! Help!"

Then, a boy with blonde hair, who Jason recgonized as himself, ran up to Piper. "Piper!" Piper just lay there, not noticing Jason, screaming in pain. Jason ran to her side and immediately backed away. Something was horribly wrong with Piper, but the image didn't show Jason what it was.

Piper finally realized Jason was there. "Jason," she whispered, her face red. "Jason, help me."

"Piper..."

"Jason, pl-please."

Jason just stared and shook his head. Tears were streaming down his face. Piper was still screaming, but now reaching out bloody hand to Jason. They sat there, Piper screaming and sobbing, and Jason sitting there, staring as tears ran down his face.

Jason covered his eyes annd shook his head. "Stop it," he said shakily. "Please." The image disappeared.

_This is destined to happen. You are destined to watch the young girl die. But surrender to me, and I'll make sure this will never happen._

"Shut it, Gaea!" Jason yelled at the goddess. "I'm sick and tired of you pushing us all around! I don't need you to prevent this from happening, because I will! I will _never_ surrender to you!"

_Tsk, tsk. You have made the wrong decision in not surrendering. But alas, I expected this to happen. Very well. You have decided to let the girl die. Farewell, Jason Grace. I will see you again when I have fully awaken and have destroyed Olympus._

With that, the entire cavern disappeared, leaving Jason wondering if it would've been easier to just surrender.

(*********)

Jason sat up, sweating. He looked around the barrack. Everyone was all ready up and going. Jason rubbed his eyes and stood up. He then realized his fresh clothes were on the Argo ll. Oh well. He'd change when they boarded the ship. Jason walked to the bathroom to comb his hair.

Jason stared into the mirror and instead of seeing his reflection, he saw an image of Piper begging Jason to help her and Jason just staring, not even trying to help. Jason vowed to do everything he could to protect her, even if it cost his own life. Whatever happened, he would not jut stare as Piper died a slow, painful death.

Just then, Frank walked in. He stood next to Jason and stared into the mirror with him. "You okay?" Frank asked.

"Oh yeah. Life is just perfect right now," Jason said bitterly.

"You wanna talk about it?"

"No." Jason was afraid if he told anyone, it would all come true and there would be nothing he could do about it.

Frank nodded. "Come on. Breakfast is in ten minutes."

(*********)

"Jason, are you okay?"

Jason looked up from his plate of eggs and bacon and looked at Piper. "Oh yeah. I'm fine."

Piper gave him a doubtful look. "Are you sure?"

"I'm fine," Jason said, a little more defiantly.

Piper gave him one last worried look, then shrugged her shoulders and turned back to everyone else's conversation.

"So, how are we gonna defeat evil Mother Earth?" Leo asked.

"Well, I was thinking-," Annabeth started.

"When are you not thinking?" Percy teased. Annabeth bumped him with her shoulder before continuing.

"What I was saying, was that what if we just focus on finding the Doors of Death? After all, that's what the prophecy says to do. And," Annabeth glanced at Hazel, "we can find Nico along the way. And for Gaea, she'll probably find us there or along the way." Annabeth stared at everyone, daring them to criticize her plan.

Percy put an arm around Annabeth's shoulders. "Sounds like a plan worthy of Athena."

Annabeth blushed and brushed Percy's arm off her shoulders. For the second time, Jason wished his love life were more like Percy's. Things would be so much less complicated if he knew without a doubt who he loved and that she loved him back.

Jason glanced at Piper again. He saw the image of Piper on the ground, writhing in pain.** (Is writhing a word? And if it is, did I spell it right?) **He remembered his vow to protect her at all costs. He vowed again to _never_ break that vow.

Everyone at the table got up suddenly. Piper looked at Jason. She held out your hand. "You coming?"

Jason smiled and took her hand. He squeezed it, causing Piper to give him a surprised look. He just smiled sweetly at her. She smiled back. Jason realized that as pretty and focused Reyna can be, she could never beat Piper's beauty, her kindness and strength, her skill. Even if Jason had only known Piper for a few months, he knew that she was the one for him.

Oh, great. Aphrodite has now poisoned his mind with lovey-dovey thoughts.

**I hope you enjoyed it! I enjoyed writing it! My favorite part was the dream, personally! **

**Please review! I can't even explain how much your reviews mean to me! **

**Oh, just to clarify, Jason chose Piper. I wasn't sure if that was clear or not. So, if it wasn't...yeah, Jason chose Piper.**

**"Everything is possible for him who believes." Mark 9:23b (NIV)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello! Here's the new chapter of my story! I hope you enjoy! **

**I know there are a lot of dreams, but they're kinda necessary, so...DEAL WITH IT! JK. The dream in this chapter should be the last dream, until something happens...**

**A part in this chapter is inspired by a MoA fic I read on wattpad. I don't remember the author's name.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO. Rick Riordan wouldn't let me buy it from him. *tear***

Chapter 7- Annabeth

Hearing a guy demand her execution was definitely not in Annabeth's plan.

The Seven stood in front of the Argo ll, getting ready to board. The entire Roman camp had come to see them off. Annabeth was staring at her clipboard, double-checking her list of supplies, making sure they had everything they needed. She felt arms curl around her waist and instantly knew it was Percy. "Hey, Seaweed Brain."

"Hey, Wise Girl. Whatcha doin'?" Percy replied, trying and failing to imitate Isabella from Phineas and Ferb.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "I'm checking to make sure that we have everything."

"That's my Annabeth," Percy mutttered. "Always making sure we are completely prepared."

"Hey-"

"You!" A voice interrupted Annabeth. It sounded angry.

Annabeth and Percy whirled around. Facing them, nostrils flaring, face completely red, was a boy with blonde, stringy hair, and maniacal**(I doubt that that's a word, but we'll just say that it is. Okay? Okay.) **eyes. He looked about seventeen or eighteen and was tall and skinny. In one hand, he held a stuffed monkey that had stuffing falling out of his stomach and in the other he held a small, but deadly, dagger. He glared at Annabeth like she had just kicked his puppy. Annabeth, being Annabeth, glared back.

"Do you need me?" Annabeth asked in a calm voice.

"You will cause us to lose this war!" the boy yelled at her. "I saw it in the auguries! You will be the key to the Romans defeat!"

"Octavian," Percy growled. He pushed Annabeth behind him and stood over Octavian, glaring down at him. Annabeth got the feeling that Percy and Octavian weren't the greatest of friends.

"Annabeth will not cause us to lose this war," Percy continued. His voice echoed throughout the camp, making Annabeth realize that the Romans were completely silent, watching the standoff.

"The auguries predicted it!" Octavian argued. "I say we kill her! Then maybe we will win this war!"

"No! We are not killing Annabeth! If you want to get to her, you have to go through me first!" Percy yelled at Octavian.

"It's the only way! The auguries said so and the auguries are never wrong!"

"No." Annabeth remembered her conversation with her mother.

_The quest relies on you._

"You can't kill me. If you kill me, this quest goes down the drain. I'm the key to this whole thing."

"And how would you know, Miss Princess?" Octavian snarled.

Annabeth hesitated. She didn't know if she was supposed to tell everyone about her dream.

Octavian smiled smugly. "You don't know. You're just saying that to protect yourself. I say we execute her!"

"Octavian!" A stern voice sounded behind Octavian. Octavian grimaced and slowly turned around.

"Yes, Reyna?"

Reyna glared at him. "What _exactly_ do you think you are doing?"

"Just telling these fine people what I say in the auguries." Annabeth stifled a laugh. Yeah, right.

"Leave Annabeth and Percy alone. They did nothing wrong," Reyna ordered.

Octavian nodded quickly and turned around to give Annabeth one more glare, then ran off.

Reyna walked up to Percy and Annabeth. "Thank you," Annabeth told her.

Reyna studied Annabeth, her eyes narrowed. "Your welcome," she said coldly. "Octavian is always cooking up trouble somewhere. I'm used to dealing with him."

Annabeth hesitated, then said, "I'm sorry, Reyna."

Reyna looked surprised. "For what?"

"I recognized you from the Circe's Island. We unleashed the pirates on the island that took over your home. It's my fault and I'm sorry."

Reyna's face softened. "I forgive you. After all, I ended up here, so in a way thanks."

Percy tugged Annabeth's arm. "Come on, Wise Girl. We need to get on the ship."

Reyna hugged Percy. "Good luck, Percy."

"Thanks," he replied, a little red. Annabeth felt something stirring in her stomach. She had felt the exact same way when Percy started hanging out with Rachel. Jealousy. Annabeth tried to ignore it, but she couldn't.

"Come on, Percy." Annabeth dragged Percy away. She was silent as they walked across the ramp to the boat, trying to sort her emotions. They walked onto the deck of the boat, the entire time Annabeth not talking to Percy.

"What's wrong?" Percy asked finally.

"Nothing," Annabeth replied stiffly. She started walking to her room on the ship.

Percy grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to him. He made her look him straight in the eye. They stared at each other for a minute, neither talking.

Finally, Percy started laughing. "What?" Annabeth asked.

"You're jealous of Reyna, aren't you?" he said, while laughing.

"What? No!" Annabeth argued.

"Don't even try to deny it, Wise Girl!" Percy shot back.

"I am not jealous!"

Percy pulled Annabeth close to him. "You don't need to be jealous. I love you and I'll always love you."

"Really?" Annabeth asked, a little surprised at Percy's proclamation. But the surprise immediately faded. When you're a demigod, you know what love feels like. After all, they could die anytime.

Percy nodded. "Really. Besides, You're way prettier than Reyna."

"Whatever, Seaweed Brain. Now you're just kissing up."

"What? No, I'm not."

"Yeah, right." Annabeth leaned in and gave Percy a kiss. Annabeth wished it could've lasted forever, but unfortunately, she had to breath.

The couple walked to the edge of the deck where everybody was waving goodbye. When the camp disappeared, Leo turned around and said, "So who wants a tour?"

(*********)

Of, course, a monster just had to attack them.

The Seven were sitting on the deck, talking about past quests and adventures they had. Hazel and Frank sat next to each other, closer than friends, but farther than a couple. Piper and Jason also sat next to each, but they sat closer than Hazel and Frank. Leo sat next to Jason. Percy and Annabeth sat next to each other, Percy's arm around Annabeth's shoulders and Annabeth's head on his shoulder. Percy stroked Annabeth's hair softly.

"So, Percy," Piper said, "how did you get that streak of gray in your hair?"

Annabeth tensed and felt Percy's arm tighten around her shoulders. She leaned deeper into him. She hated talking about this.

"Well," Percy started, "I held up the sky."

Everyone stared at him. "Y-you what?" Jason sputtered. Annabeth smiled.

Percy sighed and started to explain. When he was finished, everyone was staring at him and Annabeth.

_Scratch._

"Did you guys hear that?" she asked.

"Hear what?" Percy asked.

_Scratch._

"That!" Annabeth said. "Do you no hear that? It's like the scraping of wood."

"I don't hear anything," Jason replied, looking at Annabeth strange. Everyone else agreed.

Annabeth stared at them in disbelief. How could they not hear that? Then she shrugged. "Guess it's just my imagination." But she still felt uneasy.

A few minutes later, she heard it again.

_Scratch._

Percy perked up. "Did you hear that?"

"That's what I've been hearing this entire time," Annabeth said.

_Scratch._

Everyone else sat up straighter, on alert. Annabeth stood up. Everyone followed her lead. Annabeth fingered her dagger. Percy, Hazel, and Jason took out their swords. Piper gripped her knife's hilt. Leo pulled a hammer out of his toolbelt. Frank notched an arrow. A fight was coming.

_Scratch._

The group turned around. Standing in front of them was a nine-foot-tall, hairy, eight-legged spider.

Panic overtook Annabeth. A scream escaped her mouth, and she felt herself backing up and sinking to the ground.

"P-P-Percy?" Annabeth stammered. She started shaking. "K-kill it."

"Annabeth!" Percy yelled. "Stay back there! We'll take care of it! Just stay back there!" Percy raised his sword and charged the spider.

The spider locked his four eyes with Percy's two eyes. Percy brought his sword down on the spider's lowest leg. The leg was sliced off the spider. Percy's eyes lit up in victory until the leg grew back. Percy glanced nervously back at Annabeth, who was now hugging her knees and rocking back and forth.

Annabeth locked eyes with her boyfriend. When she looked into his eyes, her fear melted. Then she realized why he was looking at her. He was asking how to defeat it. "Hydra," was all she managed to get out before the fear overtook her again.

Percy nodded and looked at Leo. "Leo!" he yelled. "When I cut off the arm, you burn the stump. Got it?"

Leo nodded. "Flame on!"

Jason, Piper, Hazel, and Frank stared in awe as Percy and Leo got to work, cutting and burning. Percy would cut off an arm and Leo would send a stream of fire to burn the stump. When the spider fell, Percy climbed onto his back and lifted up Riptide.

Before Percy brought down the sword, the spider looked at Annabeth and it's raspy voice entered Annabeth's mind.

_Annabeth Chase_._ We are coming after you._

Percy brought Riptide down on the monster's back. Just like that, the monster disintegrated.

"Annabeth!" Percy turned around and ran towards Annabeth. He sat down next to her and wrapped his arms around her trembling body. Annabeth rested her head on Percy's chest, tears streaming down her face. She hated everyone seeing her like this. She was supposed to be the strong, brave Annabeth Chase. The girl who held up the sky. The girl who went into the Labyrinth and came out alive. The girl who helped lead an army against Kronos. Not this trembling girl sitting in Percy's arms, crying her eyes out because of a _spider._

"It's all right, Annabeth," Percy soothed. "The spider is gone. It's all right."

Annabeth felt calm in Percy's arms. She stopped crying and just sat there, feeling safe and protected from any harm. She finally pulled away from Percy and looked at him. She knew she looked awful: tear-stained cheeks, messy hair, red eyes. But Percy didn't seem to care. He looked at her with love in his eyes. "You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," Annabeth answered. "I'm fine." She looked at everyone else. "Sorry guys. I didn't mean to freak out like that. I just hate spiders." Everyone nodded and smiled at her.

"It's fine, Annabeth. I'm sure we all would've freaked out like that if it was what we were afraid of," Piper said.

_It probably wouldn't have talked to you,_ Annabeth thought.

"I'm going to my room," she said abruptly and left.

(*********)

_Annabeth Chase. We are coming after you._

The words kept ringing in Annabeth's ears as she walked to her room. What could that possibly mean. Did she have something they wanted? Did they need her for something? Could they possibly kidnap her? What if it's all three?

Annabeth layed down on her bed. She sat there staring at the ceiling, thinking about the recent turn of events. First, her mother shows up and tells her to follow the marks. What are the marks supposed to look like? And when she leads her friends to the Doors, she also leads the enemy? What's that supposed to mean? Then, a spider tells her that Gaea is after her! Annabeth felt like punching something.

"Knock, knock?" a voice came from the door.

"Come in," Annabeth said miserably.

Percy came and sat down next to her on the bed. "How are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm doing great," she snapped back. "Just great."

"What's wrong Wise Girl?" Percy prodded.

Annabeth sighed and sat up. "Percy, I just sat there and screamed while the rest of you almost died! How much more useless can I be?"

"That's not what's bothering you, Annabeth."

Annabeth stared at the ground.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Annabeth silently shook her head. She didn't want to talk about what the spider said until she was pretty sure what it meant.

Percy shrugged and got up. "Well, if you ever want to talk about it, I'm here for you." He kissed the top of her head and walked out of the room.

Annabeth layed down on her bed and closed her eyes. She needed sleep. Maybe that would clear her head.

Only too late, did Annabeth realize her mistake and drifted off into her worst nightmare ever.

(*********)

Annabeth stood on top of a hill, overlooking a burning city. The sky was black. She could hear swords clashing and people screaming in despair. People on pegasi flew in the sky, swords raised. Monsters ran around, ripping anyone who came in their way to pieces. Giants roamed around, stabbing at the ground. Annabeth immediately knew she was looking at the final battle in Rome.

_This is guarunteed to happen if you don't surrender._

Before Annabeth turned to the source of the voice, she knew it was Gaea. Sure enough, standing a few feet behind her, was a lady with robes made of moss and a veil covering her face. "Gaea," Annabeth said coldly.

_My dear child, don't speak to me like that. After all, I am your mother. The First Mother._**(Haha! TLH reference! Gaea says that when talking to Leo before the Cyclops attacks.) **

"I can speak to you in whatever way I want!" Annabeth snapped angrily. "Now, why am I having this dream?"

_Surrender, Annabeth. _

"Not gonna happen, Dirt Face!"

_If you surrender, you will avoid pain, loss, and misery beyond what you could ever imagine. And, it will be easier to do what you are to do, my little pawn._

"Oh yeah?" Annabeth crossed her arms and glared at the earth goddess. "I ran away from home when I was seven. Then, my friend betrayed me by turning over to the enemy! He tried to kill my best friend on more than one occasion. I went on a quest to retrieve Zeus' master bolt, journeyed into the Sea of Monsters, been kidnapped, held up the sky, led a quest into the Labyrinth and got everyone out alive, helped lead an army of demigods into battle against Kronos and _won_, losing countless friends along the way. Then, when everything seems to be going right, my best friend and boyfriend goes missing for six months! If that's not pain, loss, and misery, then I don't know what is."

_It will be worse, much worse. Death of the ones closest to you, your friends being tortured. All this will happen if you don't surrender._

"No! I will not surrender!"

_Very well. Here is a sneak peek of what is destined to happen because of your decision._

Annabeth turned around. Running up the hill, blood pouring out of her side, was Annabeth. Her blonde hair was tangly and dirty. Tears streamed down her cheeks, making paths in the dirt covering her face. Her arms and legs had nothing to serious, just some cuts and bruises. But her side. On her side seemed to be a deep gash, about four inches long. Annabeth couldn't see how deep it was, but judging on the blood-soaked shirt, it was pretty deep.

"Help me!" Annabeth screamed to anyone who could hear her. "Help!"

Annabeth continued screaming, until her voice was hoarse. She collapsed onto the ground and started sobbing. "Help!" she screamed one last time. "Help me..."

"Annabeth!" Running up the hill was none other than Percy Jackson. He seemed fine, except for a long gash running down his right leg. He wore armor over his Camp Half-Blood shirt and Riptide was in his hand. "Annabeth!"

"Percy!" Annabeth cried.

Percy turned to the sound of her voice. "Annabeth..." His voice faltered when he saw Annabeth. "No, no, no. This can't be happening." Percy dropped his sword and ran to Annabeth. He fell down on his knees next to her and ripped off part of his shirt and bandaged Annabeth's side with it. He picked her up bridal style, despite Annabeth's cries of pain. But they quickly faded as Annabeth curled up against Percy's chest, still sobbing. "Maybe we can get some ambrosia and nectar," Percy suggested.

"Won't work. Too late," Annabeth whispered weakly.

"A-Annabeth," Percy choked out as he started crying. He held Annabeth closer to his chest. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too," Annabeth whispered, before her breathing stopped.

"No," Annabeth shook her head. "This can't happen. You're manipulating it!"

_This is truly what's going to happen, whether you like it or not. Farewell, Annabeth Chase. Next time I see you, will be at the final battle._

(*********)

"Annabeth," a gentle voice said. "Annabeth."

Annabeth opened her eyes. Sanding in front of her was Piper, Leo, Hazel, Frank, and Percy. Percy was sitting on her bed, shaking her shoulder.

"Well, the zombie lives," Leo said. Piper punched his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Hazel asked.

"Um, yeah. I'm fine," Annabeth replied quickly. "Why are you guys all in my room?"

"You were screaming and calling for help," Frank replied bluntly. Everyone nodded.

Annabeth blushed. "Sorry," she murmured. "Demigod dreams."

Suddenly, Jason ran into the room. "Dinner's ready," he said. Everyone walked out of the room, towards the kitchen, where the scent of pizza was coming from. Only Percy and Annabeth were left.

"So," Percy said cautiously, "do you want to tell me about your dream?"

Annabeth was silent for a moment. "Gaea was talking to me," she said at last. "She told me to surrender."

Percy leaned closer, listening intently.

"She told me that if I didn't surrender, I'd face pain, loss, and misery beyond what I could ever imagine. Even worse than what I've all ready faced."

"What'd you say?"

"I told her I would never surrender. Then," Annabeth stared at the ground as she said this, "she showed me a scene of my death. Oh Percy, it was awful. I had gotten stabbed in the side and you found me too late. You were holding me in my arms when I died." When she finished, she looked up at Percy. His face was hard to read.

"Percy?" Annabeth asked uneasily.

"Annabeth, I will _never_ let you die like that," he said. "I will do everything I can to make sure that you live through that war. Even if it costs my own life. " Percy looked at Annabeth straight in the eye. "Annabeth, I swear on the River Styx that Gaea will have to kill me before she kills you."

"Percy," Annabeth's eyes watered up, "Gaea said that is truly going to happen. Usually she manipulates it or something, but this time, well, I don't think she was lying. And by promising that they will have to kill you before killing me is basically promising your death."

"I don't care, Annabeth. All I care about is protecting you." Percy grabbed Annabeth's hand. "And that's exactly what I'm going to do." Annabeth smiled and leaned in to give Percy a kiss.

When they pulled apart, Annabeth said, "We should probably get going to dinner."

Percy smiled. "Yeah." The couple got up and started walking to the door.

"Oh, Annabeth?" Percy stopped Annabeth before she could walk out the door. "Meet out on the deck when everyone falls asleep. And dress warm. It gets kind of cold at night."

Annabeth smiled. "And why would I need to meet you on the deck?"

Percy grinned mischievously. "It's a surprise."

Annabeth rolled her eyes and dragged her boyfriend to dinner.

**I hope you enjoyed it! I know the characters were a bit OOC but you can deal with it. This is just fanfiction. Please review! I worked really hard on this chapter!**

**I'm trying to decide if I want this to be the last book or if I want to end it like there's more. I think I should make this the last book, since I have a lot of a surprises in the final battle. Plus, this is just fanfiction. Nobody's gonna care if I make this the last book or not. But I want to hear your guys' opinions before I decide!**

**I only got two reviews for the last chapter. **_**Two **_**reviews! Seriously guys! Review! So I decided to recognize the people who reviewed last chapter:**

** -Xx: Thank you for yoyr review! I love reading your nice comments about my chapters! Keep it up! It makes me happy!**

**DandelionsandDaydreams: Thanks for all of your advice! It is much needed! I'm really glad you like my story! Keep reviewing!**

**Farewell!**

**"But I tell you that man will have to give an account on the day of judgement for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted and by your words you will be condemned." Matthew 12:36-37**

**"What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs." Matthew 10:27**


	8. Chapter 8

**Shmello! Here's a new chapter! I'm so sorry I didn't update sooner! I had writer's block and left on a missions trip. The missions trip went really well! I screamed because I was poked with a stick(long story), screamed and ran from a wasp multiple times, scraped paint off of a house for seven hours, painted a house for eight hours, and...I GOT A POSTER OF PEETA MELLARK!(I'm sorry. I'm obsessed with him. I'm also in love with Josh Hutcherson. Just a little bit of random info about me.:)) I also got this adorable top from Aeropostle. It's a teal tanktop and not to brag, but I think I look really good in it!**

**I got SEVEN REVIEWS from the last chapter! Thank you so much to everybody who reviewed! I can't tell you how much those reviews mean to me!**

**I have decided that this is going to be the last book. I know that it's actually not, but I don't care. Deal with it!**

**Guess what? I've just discovered Maximum Ride! I mean I've heard about them, but I've never read them. So, now I'm reading them! And even though I'm only like halfway done with the first book, I absolutely love Fang!**

**I heard that fanfiction is illegal. Anybody know anything about that? I'm a little freaked out!**

**Disclaimer: We all ready went over this! I don't own PJO. Or Cinderella by Steven Curtis Chapman.**

Chapter 8- Annabeth

Annabeth crept through the hallways of the Argo ll, trying not wake it's sleeping passengers. Her hair was down, her curls spilling over her shoulders. Annabeth was originally just going to wear sweats and a sweatshirt, but she didn't know what Percy was planning. Instead she wore dark skinny jeans, her camp shirt, and a pair of worn, black TOMS. Over her shirt, she wore a black leather jacket with lots of pockets. Her stepmom had given her the jacket for her sixteenth birthday, in an attempt to be friends. Annabeth wore it on many occasions, showing her stepmom that she wanted to be friends too, despite all of the horrible things she had done to Annabeth in the past. Plus, the jacket was kind of cute.

Annabeth burst through the doors to the deck, immediately feeling the wind on her face. The sky was pitch black, stars creeping into the night. The temperature would've been perfect, but there was a strong wind that chilled Annabeth to the bone. Annabeth scanned the deck for Percy. On her left, was a candlelit picnic. There were sandwiches, grapes, strawberries, chips, Cokes, and, Annabeth's favorite, M&M's. Candles stood in the middle of the blanket, giving the whole thing light. An old radio sat next to the food. And standing next to the whole picnic, was Percy Jackson. He was wearing worn jeans and his camp shirt. He wore regular a gray jacket over his shirt.

"Hey, Wise Girl," Percy said.

"What's all this?" Annabeth gestured to the picnic.

Percy smiled and took her hand. "I owe you a date after disappearing off the face of the earth for six months."

Annabeth's eyes lit up as Percy led her to the picnic. She smelled the strong scent of the chocolate, sweet and rich. The sandwiches were turkey and cheese, toasted, Annabeth's favorite. The fruit looked so heavenly, sitting there in their plastic bowls, drops of water still remaining. The Coke sat in a cooler, the ice that surrounded it keeping it cool. Percy had also managed to get Ruffles Cheddar and Sour Cream, Annabeth's favorite type of chips.

When Annabeth sat down, Percy turned on the radio. There was some static, but Percy eventually got it under control. The couple sat there, enjoying each other's company.

Percy and Annabeth looked at each other. "I missed you," they said simultaneously. They both smiled.

"So," Percy said, "what happened while I gone?"

"Well," Annabeth started slowly, "I had a dream from Hera, telling me to go to the Grand Canyon to find you. I found Jason, Piper, and Leo, who ended up going up on a quest and saving the world. You know, just regular, everyday stuff. No big deal."

Percy smiled. "Uh huh. What happened while they were gone on the quest?"

"I searched for you," Annabeth replied, her eyes studying the ground.

The corner of Percy's mouth crept up a bit. "And why would you do that?" he teased.

Annabeth was silent.

"Annabeth..." Percy prodded.

Annabeth glared at him. "You're my boyfriend, for Pete's sake! What girlfriend wouldn't go! Besides, you should be grateful that I went at all! After Athena telling me-" Annabeth stopped herself. She couldn't believe she just said that.

Percy stared at her. "What? Athena visited you? What'd she say?"

Annabeth looked at Percy. She felt her cheeks turning red. "It-it's nothing. Really. It's nothing to worry about. I shouldn't have said anything."

Percy just kept staring at her. "Annabeth, I don't know what's wrong, but I do know something _is_ wrong."

"Wow. Congratulations, Seaweed Brain! You figured something out!" Annabeth said sarcastically.

Percy ignored her. "Again, I'm here for you. And I swear that I'll protect you no matter what."

"Thank you," Annabeth murmured after a moment.

They were quiet for the next couple of minutes, enjoying the music. Annabeth ate some M&M's and Percy drank a bottle of Coke. Cinderella by Steven Curtis Chapman came on the radio and Annabeth immediately brightened. She loved this song. It was about a dad dancing with his daughter throughout her life.

Percy stood up and held out his hand. "May I have this dance?"

Annabeth stared at his hand, shocked, as what her boyfriend just said registered in her mind. Finally, she smiled and took Percy's hand. He helped her up, and together, hand in hand, they walked to the center of the deck. Percy wrapped his arms around Annabeth's waist and she wrapped her arms around his neck. They started swaying back and forth to the music.

"Percy," Annabeth said, "you don't know how much I missed you. I felt like the world was taken away from me." Annabeth felt a blush creep onto her cheeks.

"I missed you too," Percy replied quietly. "In a way, you _are_ the world to me. You were the one thing I remembered. You were my motivation, the thing that kept me going when I feelt like quitting."

Annabeth had to keep herself from smiling. Part of her liked hearing that, out of all of the people Percy knew, he only remembered her. The other part of her wished that it had never happened.

"Never leave me like that again," she whispered, tears springing into her eyes. Annabeth normally would never cry, but this was an exception. Her best friend, the only family she was completely sure wouldn't leave her, went missing. She couldn't bear it.

Percy pulled her into a hug. "Annabeth, I won't ever leave you again, as long as I live. I promise to be with you every step of the way."

Annabeth smiled and laid her head on his chest. She could hear his heart beating through his shirt. The song was long over, but the couple were still dancing. Annabeth was afraid that it was going to be their last.

Annabeth then felt something cold and slimy hit her head. She looked up and something hit her cheek. She looked at Percy. He had two drops of water on his face. Annabeth glanced back up at the sky. It was now pitch black with no stars. The moon was hidden behind a cloud. Thunder sounded in the distance. Annabeth realized what was happening.

It was raining.

Annabeth looked back at Percy who was looking back at her. The rain was coming down harder now, soaking Annabeth and Percy. Percy shrugged and pulled Annabeth closer.

"What are you doing?" Annabeth asked, pulling away. "It's raining."

Percy gave her a mischievious smile. "I'm dancing in the rain." He pulled Annabeth to him yet again, and started dancing with her. She relaxed against his warm body and started dancing too. It was pouring now, the rain chilling Annabeth to the bone. She shivered and leaned closer to Percy, trying to warm herself up.

They held onto each other as they danced, scared of losing each other yet again. After a while, Percy pulled away slightly and smiled at Annabeth. "What?" she asked.

In response, Percy leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. Annabeth smiled against his lips before kissing him back. She got what the Aphrodite girls only dreamed of: a dance in the rain. A kiss in the rain.

Too soon, did they pull apart and resume dancing.

(*********)

Annabeth woke up to the sound of her alarm clock beeping. She groaned and rolled over. Percy and her had stayed up to about two in the morning eating, talking, and, of course, dancing. Annabeth had to give it to Percy. He planned a pretty great date.

Annabeth sat up and stretched. She rubbed her eyes and slowly got out of bed. She grabbed her gray, fuzzy slippers and threw them on. She kept on her pajama bottoms and threw her Yankees sweatshirt on over her tanktop. She put her hair up in a sloppy ponytail.

She walked out of the room and immediately ran into Piper and Hazel, who were also in their pajamas. Piper was wearing dark blue pajama pants and a Hunger Games shirt. Hazel wore purple pajama pants and a black tanktop with a white jacket over it. "Hey, guys," Annabeth said.

"Hey!" Hazel chirped. Annabeth immediately knew that she was a morning person.

"Hey," Piper said, still half asleep.

"So," Hazel said, her voice lowering, "I heard Percy telling Frank that he was going to take you on a date last night. Was that true?"

Annabeth blushed. Hazel's eyes lit up when she saw her blushing.

"He did! That's so sweet!" she exclaimed.

Piper woke up when she heard Hazel. "Really? He did! Awww!" Annabeth noticed that Piper did actually have an Aphrodite side.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "We just had a picnic on the deck. It's no big deal."

They both stared at her, waiting for her to tell them more. Annabeth felt like they were her little sisters, waiting to hear every detail of her first date. "And we danced," she said quietly. "Then it started raining. We kept dancing and he kissed me."

"He kissed you in the rain?" Hazel asked incredulous.

"That's so sweet!" Piper screeched.

Annabeth stared at them and sighed. "You guys are obsessed."**(Camp Rock 2 line, if anyone picked that up. My little sister likes that movie. I don't. It just can't beat High School Musical.:))**

When they walked into the kitchen, they found Leo and Percy laughing hysterically and Jason standing there, dumbfounded. They were all in shorts and t-shirts.

"What's going on?" Annabeth asked as she walked in.

"Jason-cereal-underwear!" Leo choked out.

Annabeth, Piper, and Hazel looked at each other. "What?" Hazel asked.

Jason sighed. "I asked where the cereal was, and Leo said, 'Under there,' and I asked, 'Under where?' Then they both started laughing."

"H-he said it again!" Percy said and him and Leo both started laughing again.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Jason, you said underwear." The boys laughed even harder when Jason turned red from embarrassment.

"Don't worry," Annabeth put a hand on his shoulder and glared at Percy and Leo. "They are extremely immature."

Piper laughed and went to get some cereal. "Where's Frank?" Hazel asked.

"Oh, he's still asleep," Jason said. "We were gonna wake him up, but he was thrashing around, so we didn't want to get hurt."

Hazel nodded, but she looked worried. She kept glancing at the door, waiting for him to walk in.

Annabeth sat down next to Piper, who was eating some Fruit Loops. "Hey," she said. Then she lowered her voice to a whisper. "How's it going with Jason?"

Piper's face brightened. "He told me last night that I had nothing to worry about with Reyna." Her voice had a hint of excitement in it. "He said that he was in love with someone else."

"Who is?" Annabeth asked, even though she all ready knew the answer.

"Me," Piper said.

"Awww! That is so sweet. I'm really happy for you," Annabeth said.

Piper sighed. "But something's wrong with him," she said. "I don't know what it is."

Just then, Jason sat down next to Piper, and immediately started chowing down on some Lucky Charms. "I'll tell you later," Piper whispered, then turned around to her, now, boyfriend, and tried to stop him from consuming as much cereal as he was**(did that make sense? Wasn't sure.)**.

Percy plopped down next to Annabeth. "Morning," he said as he passed her a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, her favorite.

"Thanks," she said. "Morning to you too."

"So, how did you like last night?" Percy asked. He was munching on a bowl of Cookie Crisp.

Annabeth smiled. "It was great. Thank you."

"Great?" Percy teased. "Only _great_?"

"Okay," Annabeth said slowly. "It was fantastic. How was that?"

Percy nodded. "It was great."

"Only great?" Annabeth mocked.

Percy laughed. "Anyway, I'm glad you liked it. I hope you don't mind, but I told the boys about it. They were asking about how it went. It was like telling my little brothers about my first date and giving them advice on their first date."

"I don't mind," Annabeth replied. "The girls were asking about it too. It was like telling my little sisters about my first date."

"It's weird being the oldest ones here," Percy said randomly. "I don't feel comfortable with all of the guys looking up to me. I'm afraid I'll do something wrong."

Annabeth laughed. "Percy their only a mere year younger than you. And besides, you'll do fine being a leader. At least their not looking up to Clarisse or the Stolls. It was a smart choice on their part to choose you to look up to. Even if you are a Seaweed Brain."

"Thanks, Wise Girl," Percy said. "That makes me feel better. I've noticed the girls looking up to you a lot."

"Whatever, Seaweed Brain. I highly doubt it."

Leo then stood up in front of everyone. He cleared his throat to get everyone's attention, then said, "Hey, guys. Good morning! This is Supreme Commander of the Argo ll-"

"Repair Boy," Piper muttered.

Leo glared at her. "I heard that, Beauty Queen. Anyway, we will arrive at Camp Half-Blood either later tonight, or early tomorrow morning. It all depends on how my baby decides to run today. So, be ready!" Leo sat back down next to Hazel, who seemed so happy to be sitting next to him, but yet extremely uncomfortable at the same time. Annabeth wondered why.

Frank walked in just then. "You guys didn't wake me up for breakfast?" he said groggily.

"Uh, dude," Percy said, "you were thrashing around on your bed. We_ couldn't _wake you."

"Sorry," Frank grumbled as he got himself some Cheerios. Annabeth concluded that Frank was not a morning person. Annabeth watched as Frank sat down next to Hazel, who greeted him cheerfully. They were such a cute couple. Annabeth wondered what was up between Hazel and Leo. Hazel would blush everytime Leo would look at her, and when he wasn't looking, she would stare at him as if he just fell from Mars. Annabeth thought that maybe they had a past together, but that couldn't be possible. Hazel was Roman, Leo was Greek. They never knew of each other's existence until the Argo ll landed.

Annabeth was snapped out of her thoughts when Percy got up. "You coming?" he asked.

"Where? You don't have a breakfast picnic, do you?" she asked, teasing him.

Percy smiled. "No. Just thought I'd be a gentleman for once and escort you to your room."

Annabeth smiled and got up. "I'd love that." They threw away their leftover cereal and walked out of the kitchen. They walked through the hallways in silence, enjoying each other's presence. Annabeth noticed that they did that a lot.

When they were out of hearing distance from the kitchen, they ran into a person.

Annabeth heart stopped. Her blood went cold. She felt Percy wrap his arm around her waist and pull her close to him. Annabeth stared at the person in front of her, knowing her face was completely red. She could feel her eyes watering. She leaned closer into Percy, trying to feel some comfort, but none was there. This was the person she sees over and over again in her nightmares. This was the person who haunts her thoughts.

The person in front of them was Luke Castellen.

**Mwhahaha! Another cliffahnger! Boy, do I love cliffhangers! Well, writing cliffhangers, not reading them. Then it's just awful. Speaking of cliffhangers, do you want to know what Rick Riordan's definition of 'cliffhanger' is? 'When characters end the story in imminent danger.' I do NOT agree with that!**

**I'll try to update soon. Sorry, this wasn't my best writing. I'm suffering from writer's block. I know what I'm going to write, but I can't figure out how to put it into words. So, yeah.**

**Oh, and a shout out to one of my best friends! I'm not gonna say her name because I'm not sure if she'd be comfortable with that! But she helped me write Percy and Annabeth's date! **

**Sorry about the song they danced to. I know it's by a Christian artsist and it's about a father and his daughter, not a boyfriend and girlfriend, but deal with it! It's a sweet, amazing song! Go check it out!**

**Be sure to review about the whole fanfiction-is-illegal thing. I'm a little freaked out.**

**Sorry! No verse again! **


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey! Guess what? Fanfiction isn't illegal! I'm not going to jail! Yippee!**

**Guys, I completely forgot about Thalia and Grover! At the beginning of my story, I had them come, and then completely forgot about them! So we're just going to act as if they were never there and at Camp Half-Blood the entire time. Okay? Okay.(Sorry, guys. I'm not very organized.) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO. A nice man named Rick Riordan does.**

Chapter 9- Percy

"Luke," Percy said coldly. He could feel Annabeth tense up next to him and he tightened his grip on her.

"Percy. Annabeth," Luke replied, his voice strangely hollow. Something wasn't quite right. Percy stared at Luke, trying to figure out what was different about him. He still had the scar on his face. He was wearing his Camp Half-Blood shirt with shorts and flip-flops. The only thing that seemed different was that he was paler than usual, and seemed to be glowing.

Wait, glowing?

Before Percy could say anything, Annabeth reached out her hand. Luke reached out his hand, and when they met, Annabeth's hand went right through his. "Y-your a ghost," she whispered, her face almost matching Luke's: ghostly pale.

Luke smiled. "Yeah." He looked at Percy, then at Annabeth, then at Percy's arm wrapped around Annabeth's waist. Percy could see a flash of jealousy cross his face, but as quickly as it was there, it disappeared. A smile replaced it. "I see that you and Percy are together now."

Annabeth blushed. "Why are you here?" she asked weakly. Man, Luke really meant a lot to her.

Luke's face darkened. "I made it to the Isles of Blest. Turns out, that was the third time I'd been born. Anyway, as a resident on the Isles of Blest, I get to speak to someone from my past. So, I chose you and Percy."

"Why us?" Annabeth asked. She pulled away from Percy a bit, but he grabbed her hand and interlaced their fingers.

"I've come to warn you two," Luke said.

"About what?" Percy asked cautiously. He tightened his grip on Annabeth's hand.

Luke turned to Annabeth. "Annabeth, the enemy is after you. You have something they want. Once they get it, they'll kill you. And once they kill you, there's no way that the gods can win this war." He turned to Percy. "Percy, protect Annabeth. The Giants can't get her. Once they do, it's all over. Annabeth wasn't lying when she told Octavian that she's the key to the whole quest. But what she doesn't know is that she's the key to winning this war."

Percy looked over at Annabeth. She had a shocked look on her face, like someone just told her that they were going to kill her. Which, in a way, Luke did. "Annabeth?" he said. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," she squeaked. "I'm fine."

She turned to Luke. "How did you find out this stuff?"

Luke shrugged. "On the Isles of Blest, you get to follow what's going on in the mortal world. As a demigod, I get to see what's going to happen in the future. I actually know what's going to happen with you two in the future." He smiled mischievously. "Looks like Annabeth might build something permanent after all."

Percy turned to Annabeth. She caught his eye and they both blushed. _Did he mean marriage?_ Percy thought.

"Well, I must go," Luke said. He started to dissolve into nothing. "My time is up. Good luck, Percy and Annabeth. May the gods be with you."

"Wait!" Annabeth cried. "Luke! What do they want from me? Why am I the key? Luke!" But Luke was all ready gone.

Annabeth kept calling Luke, begging him to come back. "Luke!"

"Annabeth," Percy said gently. "Calm down. It's okay."

"Percy," Annabeth turned to Percy, her eyes full of sorrow and worry. "I need to tell you something. Come with me."

Percy let Annabeth drag him to her room. The entire time, Percy dwelled on how Annabeth acted when they ran into Luke. She had completely ignored him, except when Luke had mentioned their future. Was Annabeth still in love with Luke? Was Percy just the next best thing? Percy shook his head. He couldn't think like that. He needed to focus on Luke's orders: protect Annabeth.

"Okay," Annabeth said as she plopped down on her bed next to Percy. "Athena visited me."

"Okay..." Percy said slowly. "That's what you said last night. What did she say?"

Annabeth was silent for a second before saying, "She told me that I'm the seventh and that the quest relies on me. She said that I have a hard task ahead of me. She told me that most people can't survive it."

"Did she tell you what the task was?"

"Read the marks. Only the wisest of her children can see them. But Percy, here's what really troubles me. She said that the marks will lead us to our destination, but it will also lead the enemy. What's that supposed to mean?"

Percy shook his head. "I've got no idea. Maybe the enemy can see them too?"

"Maybe," Annabeth muttered. "Then the spider attack."

Percy's eyebrows scrunched together. "What happened at the spider attack?"

"The spider talked to me," she said quietly.

Percy was stunned. "It did? I didn't hear anything."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "That's because it talked to me in my _mind_, Seaweed Brain."

"What'd it say?"

"It said, 'Annabeth Chase. We are coming after you.' Then you killed it. You all ready know about my dream. And you were there when Luke warned me."

"Annabeth..." Percy started. Then his eyes widened. "_Wisdom's daughter walks alone, the Mark of Athena burns through Rome_," he muttered.

"What?" Annabeth asked. "Talk louder, I can't hear you."

Percy looked at her. "A prophecy. An incomplete prophecy. I thought it was about you, but I wasn't sure. Now I'm certain."

"What's the prophecy?"

"_Wisdom's daughter walks alone, the Mark of Athena burns through Rome_," Percy recited, his eyes trained on Annabeth. "What does it mean?"

Annabeth face was pale. She eyes the floor, soaking in what Percy just said. "Well," she said finally, "it tells us one thing. _Wisdom's daughter walks alone._ Wisdom would be Athena. So, Wisdom's daughter would mean a daughter of Athena. Since I'm the only daughter of Athena on this quest, it must be me. As for the walking alone part, that could mean anything. It could be literal: I get separated from you guys somehow. Or it means something completely different. I might not actually walk alone. As for _the Mark of Athena burns through Rome_ part, I have no clue what that means."

They were quiet before Percy said, "Annabeth, when we were talking with Luke, it seemed like you were still in love with him, not me. Is that true?"

Annabeth's eyes narrowed and she glared at Percy. Percy looked away quickly.

"Do you think it is?" she snapped.

Percy replied quickly, "No."

Annabeth laughed. "Percy, do you seriously think that I'm still in love with him? First of all, he's dead. Second of all, why would I choose him when I have you?"

Percy smiled. He immediately felt a sense of relief. What did he have to worry about in the first place? "That's great," he said, a goofy smile on his face.

Annabeth laughed and gave him a hug. "I've got to get ready, Seaweed Brain. I'm still in my pajamas."

"Okay. See you later?"

"See you." Annabeth led Percy to the door. Before he left, he tried to give her a kiss, but she turned her head at the last second, so he ended up kissing her cheek. "Hey!" he complained. "Why won't you let me kiss you?"

"I'll never make things easy for you, Seaweed Brain. Remember?"

"Awww! Come on!"

"Nope. Not gonna kiss you." Annabeth smirked at Percy's pouty face. Then she shut the door in his face. Percy stood there, stunned. That's Annabeth. Always making things hard for him. Percy sighed and started walking over to his room.

When he entered his room, Percy was surprised to see Jason sitting on his bed. He looked nervous, squeezing his hands together and staring at the ground. "Hey," Percy said, sitting down next to Jason.

"I need to tell you something," Jason said.

"What's wrong?" Percy asked concerned.

Jason took a deep breath and said, "Piper is in danger."

"Oh," Percy said stupidly. He didn't really know Piper very well. He just met her when they came to Camp Jupiter, but he had all ready figured out that she was a smart, strong girl who would sacrifice herself to save her loved ones. And she was good friends with Annabeth. "What are you going to do?"

Jason sighed. "I don't know. Aphrodite visited me in a dream and told me that it will happen in Rome. She said she can't tell me what will happen, but I have to protect Piper. I'm her only hope of surviving. I don't even know what I'm protecting her from! What am I supposed to do?"

Percy thought about what Jason said. It sort of sounded like his and Annabeth's problem. "Did Gaea send you a dream?"

Jason nodded. "She told me Piper would die if I don't surrender. When I didn't surrender, she showed me a scene of Piper's death. It was terrible. Piper was on the ground screaming and I just sat there and watched. How could I do that?"

"Well, I guess you just have to be prepared. And not just sit there while Piper's in pain."

Jason snorted. "Perfect way to start off a relationship."

Percy laughed. "Yeah. But that's how demigod relationships are. Plus, you're not the only one who's girlfriend is supposedly going to die. Annabeth was told that she's going to die."

"Oh. I'm sorry," Jason muttered. "Well, I have to go."

"Hey," Percy called to Jason, "you want to go spar out on the deck? I could use some practice before, you know, we fight in a war and all."

Jason's eyes brightened. He smiled mischeivously. "Sure. Let me go change. I'll meet you on the deck in about fifteen minutes."

"Okay," Percy agreed. "See you on the deck. And be ready to get your _podex_ whooped."

(*********)

Percy gripped his sword tightly as he studied Jason. He could hear Annabeth, Frank, and Hazel cheering for him in the background. Piper and Leo were cheering for Jason. The group had come up to support their friends. Percy thought back to before the fight, when Annabeth had come up to him.

_"Hey, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth called as she ran up to him._

_"Hey, Wise Girl," Percy said. "What are you doing?"_

_"I'm thinking of going to watch you spar with Jason," she said._

_Percy eyes brightened. "If I win, will you kiss me?"_

_Annabeth laughed. "Maybe. But you forgot a very important factor in your plan."_

_"What'd I forget?" Percy asked confused. _

_"You have to win. Are you sure you can do that?"_

_"Hey!" Percy protested. "I can win!"_

_"Keep believing that, Seaweed Brain."_

Percy smiled, and glanced over at Annabeth. She smiled at him, her eyes shining like they did everytime she smiled. Percy turned his attention back to Jason, who seemed to be planning his first move. Percy studied Jason's stance. His right foot was slightly in front of his left foot. He was holding his sword out in front of him, ready to strike anytime. Percy saw what he was planning to do. When Jason lifted his sword and slashed it at Percy's waist. Percy jumped back and stabbed at Jason's stomach. Jason side-stepped.

"You're pretty good," Jason said quietly. "But I'm better!"

"Whatever, Cloud Mouth!" Percy replied. He thrust his sword towards Jason and he parried. Jason swung his sword towards Percy's head, but Percy ducked. This went on for a few more minutes, before Percy tried a really old trick.

Percy brought his sword down on the base of Jason's blade. He twisted and put all of his weight into the downward thrust. Jason's sword hit the ground with a clang. Percy lifted his sword and put the blade an inch from his opponent's chest.

Jason stared at his sword for a couple seconds before he looked up and smiled at Percy. "Good job, man," Jason said. "How'd you do that?"

Percy removed his sword from Jason's chest. "Thanks. It's a trick I learned from an old friend. You twist your opponent's blade using the flat of your sword, making your opponent drop his sword."

"Cool," Jason said and headed over to Piper. Percy listened to their conversation:

"Hey!" Jason said. "Annabeth is giving Percy a kiss for winning. Do I get a kiss for almost winning?"

Piper smirked. "No," she said, but it didn't sound sincere since she was laughing.

"Aw, come on, Pipes! Just one?"

"Maybe," Piper said. She went up and gave him a short but sweet kiss. Percy laughed whenthey both turned red. He walked over to where Annabeth was.

"Do I get that kiss now?" he asked. "I won!"

Annabeth smirked. "I see that. I don't know about that kiss though. You didn't really do your best."

"He didn't do his best?" Leo cried, dumbfounded. "That was incredibly awesome! Dude, can you teach me that sometime?"

Percy laughed. "Sure." Percy turned back to Annabeth, who was rolling her eyes. Percy leaned in but Annabeth took a step back.

"If you want a kiss, you'll have to catch me first," she snickered before running off.

"Annabeth," Percy whined. He could hear Frank and Hazel laughing at him to his right but he ignored them and ran after Annabeth. He was going to get that kiss.

(*********)

Percy was incredibly silent as he crept up behind the counter. Annabeth had her back to him. She was crouching by the counter, looking around, no doubt for Percy. Percy had to keep himself from laughing as he crept closer and closer. Finally, he reached her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She yelped and jumped. "Calm down, Wise Girl," Percy whispered in her ear. He lifted her up and turned her around to face him. "Now you _have_ to kiss me," Percy snickered.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "You are such a Seaweed Brain."

"But you love me anyway," Percy said as he leaned in. Annabeth wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his. As always, Annabeth's lips were soft and warm, and he felt like he was turning to jelly. Annabeth did that to him.

They broke apart only when Leo burst into the kitchen. His face turned red and he said, "Oh, sorry. Did I interrupt something? Because I can leave and-"

"What do you want, Leo?" Annabeth asked, clearly annoyed. She let go of Percy.

"Oh, I just came to tell you guys that we're approaching Camp Half-Blood. We'll probably be there in ten minutes. Now, you guys can resume your kissy time." Then Leo left the room.

Annabeth turned to Percy and grabbed his hand. "Come on. Let's go to the deck." She started walking to the door, but Percy stopped her.

"What?" Annabeth asked. She walked over to Percy and stood next to him.

"What if Camp Half-Blood changed?" Percy said. "What if they don't need me anymore? They have Jason and they have you and-"

"Percy," Annabeth cut him off. "They haven't changed. I could feel the toll your disappearance had taken on the camp. They still need you. They don't need Jason. They need _you_, Percy. I need you." Annabeth said that last part quietly.

Percy sighed and pulled her into a hug. He loved the warmth her body gave off whenever they hugged. It comforted him. "Thanks. I guess I'm just nervous. Haven't seen camp in a while."

"You'll be fine," Annabeth comforted. "They'll be so excited to see you."

"Hey," Percy said mischievously, "did I hear you say that you needed me?"

"Maybe," Annabeth replied.

Percy waited.

"Fine," Annabeth said. "I do need you."

Percy laughed. "I need you too. I also think another kiss is needed here. Do you?"

Annabeth lifted her head off of Percy's shoulder and rolled her eyes. But she pressed her lips up against Percy's. Percy felt that familiar feeling that Annabeth always gave him. He could've stayed that way forever.

When they pulled apart, Annabeth grabbed his hand and dragged him out to the deck. They were immediately met by the nice, cool breeze and the sound of horns signalling their arrival.

**I hope you guys liked it! It took me a while to write. I'm sorry. **

**I'm leaving for the beach tomorrow, but no worries! I'm bringing my laptop! And they have wifi at the beach house! So I can still post! Ahhh. It's going to be so nice to sit on the beach and write, listening to the sound of waves crashing on the shore, the breeze in my face...Oh, sorry. Got a little carried away. :D**

**Review! Okay, so I've decided that the fiftieth reviewer will either get advertisement for one of their stories or they get their own character in here. Haven't decided yet. Review for which one you think I should do! Also, tell me if you think Hazel should end up with Frank or Leo. I'm thinking Frank, but I don't know yet. Review!**

**"Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20**


	10. Chapter 10

**I'm really tired of saying I'm sorry before every chapter, but I'll do it anyway! I'm sorry! I had writer's block! I'm so sorry! Please forgive me! **

**So I think that the fiftieth reviewer is going to get to choose if they want advertisement or their own OC. But here's the catch: if you choose and OC they're probably going to be evil. Because it be easier for my plotline. I'd have trouble making them good. And the advertisement would only be there for five chapters.**

**I have decided who Hazel is going to end up with! But I will not tell you because I want it to be a surprise! **

**Disclaimer: YES! I own PJO! In your face! Just kidding. Rick Riordan owns PJO.**

Chapter 10-Percy

Percy gripped Annabeth's hand, trying to calm down the butterflies that seemed to be having a party in his stomach. They stood on the deck of the Argo ll, Camp Half-Blood right below them. Percy heard the sound of the horn that signalled that the group was back. He heard the campers running out to meet him, their armor and weapons clanging together. But Percy couldn't bring himself to look down at the faces of Greek demigods.

"It'll be fine," Annabeth whispered to him. Percy nodded. Why should he be nervous? This was his home, his family. These were the people who took him in almost five years ago, took in a scrawny, weak kid who was crying for his mom. But what if they had changed? Or, even scarier, what if Percy had changed?

The Argo ll landed on the ground with a thud. The ramp creaked as it opened and landed on the soil. Jason, Piper, and Leo walked out and immediately ran over to their friends as if they brought back missing heroes everyday. Annabeth rolled her eyes at them.

Hazel and Frank walked down the ramp next and introduced themselves as two of the prophesied seven. The campers cheered for them and they walked over to the side, towards Jason.

"You ready?" Annabeth said, her eyes gleaming in the sun.

Percy tor his gaze away from his Roman friends and looked at Annabeth. He tightened his hold on her hand and said as confidently as he could, "Nope." Annabeth just rolled her eyes again, and dragged Percy over to the ramp.

The camp was dead silent as Percy and Annabeth walked off of the boat. Percy glanced nervously at Annabeth. She gave him the glistening smile that made him melt away. He took a deep breath and faced the crowd of silent demigods. "Hey, guys," Percy said. "I'm back."

Camp Half-Blood went wild. They cheered and engulfed Percy. He lost his grip on Annabeth's hand as he was surrounded by overjoyed campers. Eventually, he started smiling. He saw so many new faces, as well as old ones. _Seems the gods have kept there promise_, Percy thought as he was introduced to a daughter of Demeter. A couple of Aphrodite girls came up and kissed him on the cheek. Percy was a bit surprised when that happened.

Annabeth eventually found Percy again. He intertwined their fingers. "Hey, Seaweed Brain," she said. "You tired of all this attention?"

"You have no idea," Percy said. Some more Aphrodite girls came up to him, but Annabeth gave them her best glare and they backed off. Percy laughed.

"What?" Annabeth demanded.

"You," Percy said.

Annabeth looked at him like he was crazy. Percy was about to explain until he heard a familiar bleat. His smile widened.

""P-P-Percy!"

"Grover!" The satyr tackled Percy in a hug, which Percy gladly returned. Then Percy stepped away to study him. Grover had grown since Percy last saw him. His horns had grown also. His hat could barely conceal them now. He also seemed the tiniest bit muscular too. Grover must've been working out.

"I'm so glad you're back!" Grover said. "We were all so worried. And Annabeth..."

Percy laughed when Annabeth blushed and gave Grover the same glare she gave the Aphrodite girls. "I'm glad I'm back too."

"Now, I have one question for you," Grover continued. "Why did you say, 'I don't have any money!' in the dream?"

Percy smiled at the memory. "Satyrs at the Roman camp are considered hobos."

Grover gasped. "What! That's terrible! Satyrs deserve more respect than that!"

Percy chuckled. "Yup, G-Man. They sure do."

"Barnacle Head!"

Percy smiled and turned around to face his cousin. "Pinecone Face!" He tackled Thalia in a hug. "How are you doing?"

"Worse now that you're here," Thalia answered with a smirk.

"And I was feeling great until I saw your face," Percy shot back.

Thalia laughed. "Nice to see you again."

"Right back at you."

"Hey, Annabeth," Thalia said to Annabeth, who was standing quietly next to Percy.

"Hey, Thals."

"You know," Thalia said to Percy, throwing her arm around Annabeth's shoulder, "your girlfriend here went a little crazy when you disappeared, Perce. I think everyone was afraid of her for a while."

Percy raised his eyebrows at Annabeth. "Really," he said.

Annabeth groaned and brushed Thalia's arm off of her shoulders. "Do you have to say that to Percy of all people, Thalia?"

Percy laughed. He wrapped both arms around his girlfriend's waist. "Don't be embarrassed, Wise Girl," he purred. "I would've done the same thing if you disappeared." He leaned in towards her.

"Really?' she asked. She wrapped his arms around his neck, her touch sending chills down Percy's back.

"Really." He leaned in even closer, their foreheads touching. Percy could feel Annabeth's breath against his skin. It was comforting.

Just as Percy was about to close the gap between them, Thalia's voice broke them apart. "Get a room! We don't want to watch you guys express your love for each other! It's sick!"

"It's sweet," Grover's said dreamily. "You know, I saw the chemistry between them on our first quest to retrieve the bolt. Then, when they saved me from the Cyclops-"

"Nobody cares, Grover!" Thalia smacked him on the back of his head.

Annabeth pulled away from Percy her face red from embarrassment. Percy knew his face was probably red too.

"So, Thalia," he said, eager to change the subject, "why are you at camp and not with the Hunters?"

"Oh, Lady Artemis let me have a couple days off so I could see you before you left on your quest."

"Oh. That's cool." The campers had started to walk off, going back to their regular activities.

"Percy," Annabeth said, saving them from an awkward silence. "we should go talk to Chiron. About you know what."

"That's a good idea." Percy nodded and said goodbye to Grover and Thalia before Annabeth dragged him towards the centaur, who was standing in front of the Argo ll, talking to Jason.

"Hey, Jason," Percy said. "Chiron!"

"Percy, dear boy, I'm so glad to see you. I don't think I've ever been so happy to see a camper return." Jason got an angry look in his eyes and he glared at Percy. Percy just looked at him, confused.

"Thanks, Chiron," Percy said, turning his attention back to Chiron. "We need to talk to you about something." He glanced at Jason. "Um, in private. No offense."

Jason shook his head. "None taken. I'm gonna go check on Piper." He ran off towards the Aphrodite cabin.

"So, my dear boy," Chiron said, "what do you and Annabeth need to talk to me about? Shall we go to the Big House to discuss this?" Percy nodded, and Chiron grabbed him and Annabeth and hefted them onto his back. Percy felt Annabeth wrap her arms around his waist. His stomach fluttered at her touch, though he wouldn't dare tell her that. Chiron galloped off towards the Big House.

(*********)

"So," Chiron said, after Percy and Annabeth got settled down on the couch, a cup of lemonade each in their hand. Sunlight streamed through the windows, casting beams on the hardwood floor. Chiron sat in his wheelchair, facing the couple. "What's bothering you?"

Annabeth took a deep breath and explained what she had explained to Percy. When she explained Luke coming back and talking to him, her voice quivered. Percy reached out and held Annabeth's hand. He gave her a reassuring squeeze and she smiled at him in return. She squeezed his hand too. Percy felt his cheeks reddening when he saw Chiron glance at their hands and a faint smile play across his lips.

"So, Percy," Chiron said after Annabeth finished, "you seem to have quite a dilemma on your hands."

"No," Percy muttered. "I didn't notice." Annabeth smiled slightly.

"So what should we do, Chiron?" Annabeth asked. "What does it all mean?"

Chiron thought for a moment. "Well, there's really nothing we can do, but stay on guard. Annabeth, you must be careful. Don't do anything rash. And Percy, you _must _protect her. I'm sure you would anyway, but it's even more important now. Gaea is after Annabeth and you must do whatever it takes to make sure they don't get her."

"Do you know what Annabeth has that they want?" Percy asked. Annabeth looked at Chiron expectantly.

Chiron shook his head. "I don't know exactly, Percy. But whatever it is, it's enough for them to kill anyone who gets in their way."

Percy felt Annabeth shiver next to him. He squeezed her hand again. He knew that Chiron knew what Gaea and her army wanted, but was afraid of scaring them by telling them the truth. That thought didn't make Percy feel any better.

"Percy," Chiron said, "you should go pay a visit to your mother. She's been worried sick. Almost as much as Annabeth."

Annabeth turned beet red and muttered something about everybody loving to embarrass her. Percy laughed. "Come on, Wise Girl," he said. He got up from the couch and pulled Annabeth up with him. "Let's go."

"Bye, Chiron," Annabeth said as she walked out the door.

"Goodbye, Annabeth," Chiron replied. Percy caught one last look at Chiron as he walked out the door: him staring at the fireplace, eyebrows furrowed in frustration, his chin resting in his hand.

(*********)

_Hey, boss! Nice to see you alive!_ Blackjack galloped around when Percy and Annabeth came up to him.

"Whoa, Blackjack," Percy said, trying to calm down the horse. "I'm glad to see you too. And how many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me boss!"

_Whatever you say, boss. You're the boss._

Percy rolled his eyes and explained to Blackjack that he needed to him to take Percy to his mom's apartment.

_One person or two?_ Blackjack glanced at Annabeth. Percy turned to her too. She was standing back, awkwardly, watching her boyfriend and his horse have a conversation**(Is it just me, or does that sound funny?)**. When they turned to her, she stood up straighter and her expression turned hopeful, as if she knew what Blackjack and Percy were discussing.

Percy turned back towards Blackjack. "Two," he said with a smile. Annabeth brightened.

_All righty, boss, _Blackjack said. _Climb aboard!_

Percy hopped up on Blackjack. Annabeth climbed on behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist again. Again, his heart fluttered. "All right, Blackjack. Giddyup!"

_Don't tell me to 'giddyup'._

"Then don't call me 'boss'," Percy retorted. When he turned to look back at Annabeth, she had a confused look on her face. "You have to understand him to get it," Percy explained. Annabeth laughed.

Blackjack took a few steps then lifted into the air. Percy felt Annabeth's grip tighten. She leaned closer to him. He felt her breath against his ear and her hair tickled his neck. And Percy really couldn't complain.

(*********)

Percy knocked on the door of his mom's apartment. He brought his hand down and stuck it in his pocket. He felt Annabeth presence close behind him. The sound of her breathing calmed him down, but only a bit. The scolding he was about to get from his mom was going to be bad.

"Percy?"

Percy straightened his posture when his mom opened the door. "Mom?"

"Percy!" She whipped open the door as wide as it could go and ran out to hug her son. Her hug was bone-crushing, as bad as Tyson's, if not worse. But Percy hugged her as tightly back. He felt her jagged breaths and relieved sobs against his shoulder. He was probably shedding some tears also.

When they pulled apart, Percy spotted Paul in the doorway. "Hey, Paul," Percy said as he walked over to his stepdad. They gave each other a man-hug**(Don't even know if that's real. It just sounded good.) **as Percy's mom gave Annabeth a hug and asked her how she's been.

"Come on in, Percy, Annabeth," Percy's mom said. "I'll make some lemonade and cookies."

"Blue cookies?" Percy asked with a hopeful expression.

His mom smiled. "Of course, sweetheart."

The four walked into the small apartment. Percy's mom headed straight for the kitchen and Paul, Annabeth, and Percy sat on the couch in the living room. Percy looked around the apartment. The furniture was still in place, the TV in the corner, the black couch and black chair across from it. A coffee table sat in front of the couch, a stack of magazines lying on it. Percy spotted one of Annabeth's architecture books on their also. Sunlight streamed through the windows, the dark blue curtains pulled to either side. The white fluffy rug was new though. "So, Paul," Percy said, trying to make small talk, "How have you been?"

"Worried," Paul said. "Your mother couldn't sleep well at all and didn't work on her book either. All she did was sit on the couch with some ice cream and stared at the phone and watched TV. Annabeth joined her some days. She likes chocolate ice cream." Paul winked. Annabeth groaned.

Percy laughed. "Good to know." Percy picked up Annabeth's architecture book off of the table. "I'm guessing you've spent a lot of time here while I was gone?"

Annabeth snatched the book out of his hand and glared at him, though the glare didn't really seem all that sincere since Annabeth was hiding a smile. "I must've left it last time I was over."

"Uh huh," Percy said, rolling his eyes. Annabeth laughed and bumped him with her shoulder. Percy bumped her back. Paul watched it all, smiling.

Percy's mom came in, holding a tray of lemonade and cookies. "Here you guys go," she said, setting it down on the coffee table. She noticed Annabeth's book in her hand and said, "Oh, Annabeth, I'm glad you grabbed your book. I doubt you'll need to leave it here anymore, now that Percy's back."

_What?_ Percy thought. His mom must've noticed his confusion. She explained, "Annabeth brought it over the first time she visited after you disappeared. Left it here to read every time she came over to keep me company."

Percy laughed and turned to Annabeth, who was looked like a Martian, she was blushing so hard. She buried her face in her hands. Percy put his arm around her and said, "It's okay, Anniebeth. No need to be embarrassed."

Annabeth lifted her face out of her hands and glared at Percy. Percy leaned away slightly, her glare was so threatening. "Don't _ever_ call me 'Anniebeth.'"

"Yes ma'am," Percy said quickly. But he kept his arm around Annabeth and she wasn't complaining.

"So, Percy," his mom said, sitting down next to Paul, "what happened to you while you were gone? Did you go on any quests?"

"I did, actually," Percy said. He explained about his quest to free Thanatos, and killing the giant and the Greeks coming to get him, Frank, and Hazel. Annabeth blushed when he mentioned the spider attack. _That must've been embarrassing for her,_ Percy thought. _All those demigods watching her scream and cry because of a spider._

Percy's mom listened intently. Paul gasped, wowwed, and ahhed a lot. When Percy finished, he waited for his mom's reaction. "Well, I'm just glad you're okay," she said after a few moments. "I can't believe you drank the gorgon's blood, though."

"I can," Annabeth muttered, elbowing him in the side.

"Ow!" Percy exclaimed. Annabeth just smirked at him and reached for a blue cookie.

"So, what happens next?" Paul asked.

"The Seven sail to Greece, then Rome."

Percy's mom sighed. "I'm guessing you and Annabeth are two of the seven?"

"Yeah," Percy said quietly. His mom nodded and took a sip from her lemonade.

"We need to go," Annabeth told Percy. "Dinner's in half an hour."

Percy nodded reluctantly and stood up. "Bye, Mom," he said, giving his mom a hug.

"Promise you'll be careful, Percy," she said. "I-I couldn't bear it if you died."

"I promise I'll make it back," Percy reassured. "I'll survive the war. I all ready have a plan."

And he did. Percy had a plan, possibly their only chance of surviving this war. But it was dangerous. Very dangerous. Probably worse than last time...

"I hope it's a good one." His mom pulled him down(he'd grown taller than her) and whispered in his ear, "Keep a close eye on Annabeth. She has a tough job ahead of her. It's your job to make sure she survives it."

Percy stared at her. "I've had people tell me the same thing. How do you know?"

"A dream. Poseidon's blessing. He really does care about Annabeth, despite the fact of who her mother is. And he knows it'll crush you if she dies."

Percy nodded, glumly. "I'll try my best." He glanced at Annabeth and Paul, who were standing aside, trying to hear what Percy and his mom were whispering about. His mom walked over to Annabeth and gave her a hug.

"Bye, Mom. See you soon." Percy walked over to Paul and gave him a high-five. "See you, Paul. Take care of Mom for me."

"See you, Percy," Paul said. "Don't die on us." They both turned to the girls, who were giving each other hugs. "Annabeth," Percy called, "you ready?"

"Yeah." She gave Percy's mom another hug and his mom whispered something in her ear. Annabeth laughed and glanced at Percy. She turned back to his mom and nodded.

"Good," his mom said. "Well, I'll see you all soon." She looked at Percy. "Be careful. Please."

Percy promised he'd be careful. He didn't mention that his plan would kill him if he didn't play this right. He grabbed Annabeth's hand and together, they walked out of the apartment.

When they reached Blackjack, who was in an alley, behind the apartment building, Percy stopped and pulled Annabeth into a hug. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Hugging you."

"Well, duh, but-"

Percy pulled away, but grabbed her shoulders. He looked her in the eye and said, "Promise me, Annabeth, that you'll be careful. That you won't die on me. If you died, I-I don't know what I'd do. I can't live without-" Percy was cut off when Annabeth pressed her lips against his. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself up to his heighth. When they pulled apart, breathing heavily, Annabeth whispered, "I promise. But only if you promise not to do anything stupid either. Eight months was hard, harder than anything I've ever been through. But a whole lifetime! I don't know what I'd do."

Percy grinned stupidly. "I promise. But just to warn you, it's in my nature to do stupid things."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "I've noticed."

_Well, boss, looks like you and the princess are getting a little close there._

"Shut up, Blackjack," Percy called. Annabeth looked at him weird, but just shrugged her shoulders and followed Percy over to the horse. "Come on, Blackjack," Percy said. "Back to Camp Half-Blood."

_Hold on tight, boss. Make sure the girl is too. I'm sure you'll like it._

"Blackjack, you have perverted thoughts running through your mind."

_Hey! I-_

"Let's go," Percy urged, rolling his eyes. The horse started running and jumped up into the sky. Again, Annabeth's arms tightened around Percy's waist and he felt her lean her head against his shoulder. Percy wasn't sure that was because she was scared. Annabeth's hair whipped him in the back of the head and he could feel her breath on his cheek. Percy smiled. He should Annabeth for a ride more often.

They reached Camp Half-Blood right as dinner was starting. Annabeth jumped off of Blackjack and ran over to the Athena table. "Hey!" Percy called, feigning hurt. "I don't get a kiss or anything?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes and ran back over to her boyfriend. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and ran back over to her siblings, who were watching her, some in disgust, some trying to hold back smiles. Percy smiled and walked over to the Poseidon table. Hazel and Frank were seated there. "Hey, guys," he said, sitting down. "Why are you sitting here and not the Hermes table? Or with Chiron?"

"Chiron said we could sit with you tonight since we don't know anyone," Hazel explained. She was eating some shrimp gumbo.

"Hey," Percy asked, gesturing to her shrimp gumbo, "where'd you get that? Usually we only have barbecue, bread, and fruit."

"Chiron let me have some," Hazel said. She was moving it around on the plate, not really eating it. Her head was in one hand, staring at her food. She seemed sad.

"What's wrong?" Percy asked.

"Nothing."

"Hazel, what's wrong?" Percy asked a little more firmly this time.

"Nothing." Hazel shook her head.

"For the love of Hades, Hazel, would you tell me what's the matter with you?"

Hazel looked up from her plate, startled at Percy's outburst. Finally she said, "It's Leo."

"What?" Frank looked up from his all ready half gone plate of barbecue. "Did he hurt you?"

"No, no," Hazel said, glancing at the Hephaestus table. "It's just, he's the spitting image of Sammy. He even acts like Sammy. I don't know what I'm going to do."

Percy understood what she meant: what is she going to do? She likes both Frank and Leo. Percy shrugged. "Talk to Piper. Or Annabeth. They'd know what to do."

"Know what? What is she confused about?" Frank asked Percy.

Hazel laughed at Frank's confused expression. "It's nothing. Go back to eating your barbecue."

(*********)

Campfire was great. The campers were so happy. The fire was twenty feet high and bright purple. Everyone was laughing and singing along with the Apollo cabin. Nobody mentioned the quest, who would leave tomorrow to try and stop the gods' worst enemy yet. Percy had his arm around Annabeth, and Hazel and Frank were sitting next to him.

But the happiness ended all too soon.

Chiron stood up and stomped loudly on the ground to get everyone's attention. "As you all know, Percy Jackson returned today with two Roman companions. They came because they are a part of the Great Prophecy." Whispers spread throughout the campers. Hazel and Frank seemed uncomfortable.

Chiron stomped again to get the campers attention. He motioned to Rachel. "For those of you who don't know the prophecy, our Oracle is going to recite it."

Rachel stood up and quickly waved to Percy. Percy smiled and waved back. She started, "_Seven half-bloods shall answer the call, to storm or fire the world must fall. An oath to keep with a final breath, and foes bear arms to the Doors of Death._ Chiron, we have six demigods, but who's the seventh?"

The camp was dead silent. Everyone glanced around, trying to figue out who the seventh might be. Percy glanced at Annabeth. She had an uncertain expression on her face, but she stood up and said strongly, "I am."

Percy stood up with her. "She is. There's even a prophecy to prove it: _Wisdom's daughter walks alone, the Mark of Athena burns through Rome._"

Rachel gasped. Everyone turned to look at her. Her face was pale and her eyes were green. A green mist escaped from her mouth. She spoke in a raspy, ancient voice,

"_Wisdom's daughter walks alone,  
The Mark of Athena burns through Rome.  
She wears the blessing of her mother,  
But that does not save her from destruction.  
Beauty's child's charm saves the war,  
But not until she is no more._"

Rachel collapsed after she finished. Percy and Annabeth ran to catch her. "This is not good," Percy heard Annabeth mutter. "This is definitely not good." She took Rachel and helped set her down.

"Well," Chiron said, "It seems like we have a new prophecy concerning Annabeth and Piper."

Percy glanced over at Piper. Her face was deathly pale and her eyes were wide. Jason had an arm around her. He didn't look much better. Percy looked back at Annabeth. She was sitting next to Rachel, but she looked shaken. Rachel looked confused. "What'd I say?"

Chiron patiently recited the lines to her.

"Oh," Rachel said. She looked at Annabeth, then Piper. "Sorry, guys."

"Prophecies always have double meanings," Annabeth said. "It might not mean we actually die."

"Yeah," someone called out, "'but not until she is no more.' That has so many meanings." Piper shuddered.

"Hey," Percy called out, "we're trying to be optimistic about it."

"Whatever the prophecy says," Chiron said, "the Seven must leave tomorrow. You all are leaving tomorrow at appromiately 8:00 A.M. Dismissed."

Everyone got up and wandered off towards the cabins in twos and threes. Percy and Annabeth stayed behind. "Hey," Percy said, sitting down next to Annabeth and wrapping his arrm around her, "it'll be all right. You'll see."

Annabeth leaned into him. "There it is, clear as day. I'm going to die, Percy! Gaea wasn't lying. I'm going to die." Annabeth leaned in closer to Percy and wrapped her arms around him. He felt tears slide off her face and land on his shirt. Percy tightened his hold on her and they stayed like that, holding each other. Finally, Annabeth pulled away. She wiped her eyes and smiled at Percy. "Sorry, Percy," she said weakly. "Thanks for comforting me, by the way."

"You're not going to die, Annabeth," Percy said. "Remember the last Great Prophecy? We thought I was going to die, but it was really Luke. It could mean someone else."

"Oh yeah," Annabeth replied glumly. "Because their are so many daughters of Athena on this quest."

"Just trust me," Percy said.

Annabeth looked at him skeptically, but she nodded. "Okay. Come on. We need to get to bed." Percy helped Annabeth up and they walked hand in hand to the cabins.

"Good night," Percy said when they reached the Athena cabin. "Sweet dreams."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "You're so cheesy." She hugged him. "This is just like last time," she muttered.

"Last time?" Percy asked.

"When you disappeared. This is exactly what happened. You kissed me goodnight and disappeared."

Percy brushed Annabeth's hair out of her face. "I'm not going anywhere." He pulled her in a kissed her. He felt Annabeth smile against his lips.

"Good night," Annabeth whispered when they pulled apart. "I love you."

Percy grinned. "I love you too." He watched her as she walked into her cabin. Percy thought she was breathtakingly beautiful, more beautiful than Aphrodite. He walked to his cabin, thinking about the days events. Seeing his mom, his plan, the prophecy. Just thinking about the new prophecy made him shudder. He fell asleep, dreaming about Annabeth's death.

At some point in the night, Percy woke up. He looked over at the bed beside him, which was Tyson's. It was made up perfectly, Tyson's trinkets and tools spread out.

Wait.

"Where's Tyson?"

**Oh my word. That took me forever to write. Stupid writer's block. It's quite annoying, isn't it? And I couldn't figure out a spot to end this chapter, so I'm sorry about it dragging on endlessly. And I guess it's not my best. Oh well. I'm tired and I don't feel good, so I really don't care whether this chapter is good or not. Oh, and I'm sorry about the prophecy. To me, it's awesoem, but that's only because I stink at poetry. To you guys, it's probably awful. But do you think I care?:D**

**Here's my own personal rant: I really don't know if I should read the second Divergent book, Insurgent. I didn't really like something that happened in her fear landscape in the first book. And when I started reading the second one, something else happened that I really didn't like. So should I continue? I'm a Christian, so I don't like that kind of dirty stuff. Opinions, please? Thank you!**

**"We love, because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello! Thanks for all of the reviews! Still waiting for that fiftieth reviewer...:) **

**Again, if you're the fiftieth reviewer, you decide between an OC or advertisement for one of you're stories. If you choose an OC they will be evil and advertisement will be only for five chapters. I'll PM you if you're the fiftieth reviewer. :-D**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own PJO.**

Chapter 11-Jason

Jason walked to the dining pavilion groggily, shouldering his backpack. When he reached into the pocket of his jacket, he felt his gold coin/sword. He yawned. It was 7:45 in the morning. Way to early to be up and ready. The sky was a mixture of pink and blue, which was lind of pretty. The fountain in the middle of the circle of cabins was bubbling and the air was cool. Dew dotted the grass. As Jason walked past the cabins, inhaling the fresh air, he thought about the prophecy.

_Beauty's child's charm saves the war,  
But not until she is no more._

So the scene in his dream was going to happen. Piper was going to die. He promised to not let her die, but how could he do that if a prophecy says that she is? How could he stop a prophecy? And Jason couldn't get rid of the sneaking suspicion that her death will have something to do with him.

Jason reached the dining pavilion last. Everyone had a backpack by them, filled with clothes and toiletries probably. Their weapons were strapped to their waists. Hazel and Frank were sitting next to each other, chatting with Percy, who looked tense. Annabeth was asleep, her head in Percy's lap. Jason was a little confused about that. That wasn't like Annabeth to sleep right before a quest. Usually she was planning and stragetizing. Piper and Leo sat across from the other four. Piper was reading a book and Leo was tinkering with some small parts.

Jason walked over and sat down next to Piper. "Morning," he said.

"Morning," Piper said, putting up her book. Jason could tell that the prophecy was still bothering her. He couldn't blame her. It'd been bothering him too.

Jason turned to Percy. "What's up with Annabeth?" He gestured to the sleeping girl in Percy's lap.

"She had a nightmare last night. Kept her up most of the night," Percy explained. He played with one of Annabeth's curls.

"What's wrong?" Jason blurted out. "I mean, you seem tense. Just wondering what's the matter."

Percy sighed. Everyone looked at him, waiting for an answer. Except Annabeth, who muttered something about support structures and shifted in her sleep. Percy cracked a smile, but it quickly disappeared. "It's Tyson," Percy said.

Jason nodded. He'd never met Tyson, but he'd heard about him from other campers. Tyson was Percy's Cyclops brother, who was a general in Poseidon's army. He and Percy were very close. He knew that Tyson had gone to look for Percy when he went missing. "What's wrong with him? Is he all right?"

"Yeah, he's fine," Percy said. "I realized he was missing and Iris-Messaged him last night. He secretly stayed with Ella at the Roman camp and is currently there now."

"Ella? Who's Ella?" Leo asked. "Is she cute?" Piper rolled her eyes and muttered something about boys under her breath.

"She's a harpy," Frank said.

"Oh," Leo said, obviously disappointed.

"A very intelligient harpy," Hazel corrected. "She memorized the Sibylline books!"

Jason's eyes bugged out. "Are you serious? Dude, if Octavian found out-"

"That's what I'm worried about," Percy interrupted. "If Octavian found out, he'd stop at nothing to get to her. And Tyson would stop at nothing to protect her."

Jason shivered. Sure, Tyson was strong, but Octavian was smart. Very smart. He could very easily outsmart a Cyclops. Jason suspected that Percy knew this too, based on his glum look.

"It's okay, Percy," Hazel said, putting an arm, around him. "Tyson'll be okay. You'll see."

Percy looked at her gratefully. "Thanks. You're probably right. There's nothing to worry about."

Chiron galloped into the pavilion. "Good morning, heroes. I hope you all had a good night's rest." He snuck a playful glance at Annabeth sleeping in Percy's lap. Percy nugded her. She opened her eyes and saw Chiron looking her. She quickly sat up and Jason saw her blush. "Sorry," she said.

"I hope you had a nice nap there, Annabeth," Chiron said. Annabeth blushed even more.

"Was Percy's lap comfortable enough for you?" Leo snickered. Annabeth shot him a glare. He shut up after that.

"Now," Chiron continued, ignoring Leo's comment, "does everyone have everything that they need?"

Everyone nodded.

"Good. Remember, winning this war relies on you seven. And I can't think of a better group of demigods to send on this quest. You are the most powerful demigods of this millenia. Feel honored to be a part of the greatest group of heroes ever. It doesn't matter how many monsters come at you. You are better and stronger than them. It doesn't matter if a prophecy states that you are going to die. Die bravely, fighting beside you're friends. If you win this war, you are worthy of fighting alongside the gods. The gods believe in you. The Greek and Roman demigods believe in you. I believe in you. Be brave. Protect each other. Keep a clear mind. Think things through. And as Annabeth says, even strength has to bow to wisdom." Chiron paused and looked each of them in the eye. "You can do this."

By the end of Chiron's speech, Jason was feeling more confident. Chiron's right, they can do this. The Fates chose them for a reason. They are the greatest heroes ever. He shouldn't be telling himself that Gaea and her army are too powerful for him. He trained all his life for this. He _can _do this.

The Seven were silent, soaking in what Chiron told them. Piper seemed to be talking to herself, because her lips were moving. Leo stopped fiddling with his thingamabobbers and was staring at the table, his eyebrows scrunched together. Hazel was twirling her hair and staring at the sky. Frank stared at Chiron. Percy and Annabeth seemed worried. Annabeth rubbed her temples and her lips were moving, like Piper's. Percy had his head resting in one hand and his eyes were scrunched together, like he was confused about something.

"Thanks, Chiron," Jason said, breaking the silence. "That was a great speech."

"Now it's time to send you off," Chiron said. He galloped toward the Argo ll, which was anchored by the beach. Jason and everyone else stood up, grabbed their backpacks, and walked together towards the boat.

"Do you really think we can do this?" Frank asked. "I mean, do you think that just us alone can actually stop Gaea?"

Percy shook his head. "I don't know. It sounds like big job. But the Fates chose us for a reason. Maybe we have awesome powers that we don't know about yet."

"Yeah," Leo piped in. "Like maybe I can make someone burst into flames by sheer willpower. And Percy can summon sharks on land to, like, rip someone to shreds. And Jason can-"

"We get it, Repair Boy," Piper interrupted Leo. "You don't have to tell us everyone's special powers."

"I have a plan," Percy whispered so no one would hear him. "I'll tell you about it on the boat. It concerns Jason and me." He glanced at Jason mischievously. "If you're up for it."

Jason was a little uneasy about Percy's plan, but he smiled. He didn't want to look like a coward in front of Percy. "I'm totally up for it. Uh, whatever 'it' is."

The Seven reached the boat. Chiron stood by the ramp leading onto the deck. Jason lead the group over to the ramp, then stopped. They all looked at each other uneasily. This was it. When they board this boat, it'll lead them to the war, and to some, their deaths. Beside Jason, Piper started to shiver. Jason put an arm around her and said, "It'll be okay, Pipes. You'll see."

Piper smiled at him gratefully. "Thanks," she said. "It's just that prophecy. It's really bothering me."

Jason planted a kiss on her cheek. "It'll be okay." He glanced over at Percy to see if he was having the same problem. Percy had one arm slung over Annabeth's shoulders. She was staring at the boat as if it were her grave. Percy caught Jason's glance and winked. Jason smiled weakly in return.

Piper sighed. "Well," she said to everyone, "let's get this over with, shall we?"

Together, the Seven demigods of the Great Prophecy took one last look of camp and boarded the ship.

(*********)

"No!" Annabeth yelled at Percy. "You're not doing it! I will not allow it!"

"But it's our only chance, Annabeth!" Percy replied.

"Oh, it's not our only chance, Percy. We can win without using your plan!"

Jason, Piper, Leo, Frank, and Hazel sat and watched as the couple argued about Percy's plan. They came into the kitchen after they set sail to discuss Percy's plan. Annabeth had blown up at him and they've been arguing about it for about ten minutes. Jason figured it was time to intervene. Annabeth was eyeing a kitchen knife like she might use it on her boyfriend.

"Annabeth," Jason said gently, "Percy's plan isn't all that bad. It could work."

"Thank you," Percy said.

"I agree too," Frank said, standing up. "It could be our only chance."

"You don't understand how dangerous it is," Annabeth shot back. "It could very likely kill you."

"I agree with Annabeth," Piper said, eyeing Jason. "Jason, you're not doing this either."

"Hey!" Jason argued.

Percy walked over to her and grabbed her chin. He tilted her head up to look at him and said, "Annabeth." Annabeth tried to pull away, put Percy had a firm grip on her chin.

"Annabeth," he repeated. "Listen to me." He made her look him right in the eyes. Jason could see her melting as she looked into Percy's eyes. "What?" she snapped.

"Let me do this. I promise I'll survive and come back to you. I did last time, didn't I?"

Annabeth sighed. "Percy, you know bathing in the River Styx is extremely dangerous and painful. It nearly killed you last time. Why are you willingly going back?"

"Because I don't want you to die. If I'm invulnerable, I have a better chance of protecting you. Same with Jason."

Annabeth hesitated, staring at Percy skeptically. Finally, she let out a breath and said, "Fine. But if you die, it's not my fault."

Percy smiled and lifted her up and spun her around. Annabeth yelped. "Thanks, Wise Girl. And I promise I won't die." He turned to Leo. "Leo, land around Central Park. Piper, get ready to charmspeak. Jason, Annabeth, get ready to go to the Underworld."

(*********)

Jason shivered. Percy, Annabeth, Piper and him were in a boat on the River Styx. Piper managed to charmspeak the Door of Orpheus to open. They hurried down to the river and found a rowboat big enough to fit all four of them in it.

Jason had to admit that he'd been surprised when he first saw the river. He didn't know what he was expecting, but definitely not pitch black, roaring water with items floating around in it. Yearbooks, CDs, jewelry, wedding pictures, notebooks. They all floated down the river, forgotten and left behind when their owner died.

Him and Percy had rowed them down the river until they reached the spot that Percy had been in when he bathed the first time. "Okay," Percy said, "let's review the plan."

"The plan is pretty simple," Annabeth said. "You and Jason jump in. You get back out. We go back to the Argo ll, where Frank, Hazel, and Leo are waiting. What else is there?"

"That," Jason said, pointing to the ghost that was behind their boat.

Percy and Annabeth whirled around. The ghost was wearing a white tunic ad bronze armor, common Greek attire. His face was cruel and scarred and his hair was short and black. Right above his left ankle, was an arrow crusted with blood. The ghost's green eyes widened when he saw Percy. "You again! Why do you dare come back?"

"Um, I kind of lost my curse, so I came to get it back for the next big war," Percy explained.

"Foolish boy," the ghost muttered. "Coming back. Foolish." He scanned the rest of the boat. When the ghost spotted Jason, his eyes scrunched together. "Roman," he said. "This is a Greek blessing. No puny Romans are allowed to gain it."

"Uh, who are you?" Jason asked, ignoring the comment about Romans being puny.

"I am the great Achilles! The greatest hero of all time," Achilles said, staring at Jason, daring him to criticize.

"Cocky much?" Jason muttered. "Anyway, I'm sort of Greek. I'm the son of Jupiter, but I spent a lot of time with the Greeks. They're practically family now. You have to let me swim in the Styx. It's our only chance of winning this war."

Achilles stared at Jason. "No," he finally said. "Whether you spent time with the Greeks or not, your father is still a Roman god, which, therefore, makes you Roman."

"But-"

"Jason," Piper said. "I got this." She turned to face Achilles. "Sir, Achilles, my friend Jason here is as Greek as he can be. Please let him do what he wants. It would mean so much to us." Jason could tell that Piper was using her charmspeak against Achilles, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Well," he said, "maybe just this once. For the pretty girl here."

Piper put on her biggest, most dazzling smile. "Thank you so much! It means so much to us! How could we ever thank you? Perhaps a kiss?"

Jason jerked his head to look at her. "On the cheek, I hope," he whispered to her. Piper just gave him a I-know-what-I'm-doing look.

"Well, maybe just one," Achilles muttered. Piper leaned over the edge of the boat, and gave him a kiss where his cheek would be. He's a ghost, and it's kind of hard to give a ghost a kiss.

Piper pulled away and smiled at Achilles again. "Thank you so much. I'm sure you should be on your way now."

"Uh, oh, yes!" Achilles exclaimed. "I'll be going now. Don't die!" And with that, he ghost disappeared.

"Wow," Percy said, staring at Piper in awe. "You made a complete fool out of him!"

"Thanks," Piper said. "Now get going. The sooner we get out of here, the better." Annabeth nodded.

Piper turned to Jason. Jason pulled her into a hug. She whispered into his ear, "Please don't die on me."

"I won't," Jason promised. "I'd never leave you like that." In front of him, Jason saw Annabeth give Percy a hug. They stayed there like that for a few seconds, Annabeth's arms wrapped around Percy's neck and her head in his chest. Percy's head rested on Annabeth's head and he was gently stroking her hair. Jason didn't understand how Percy could be so calm about this. They were about to dive into intoxicated water with random items that people left behind when they died floating around. Oh yeah. There's nothing to worry about.

Piper pulled away and said, "Good luck, Sparky." Then she glanced at Percy and Annabeth. She cracked a smile and gestured to the couple. Annabeth was gripping Percy's bicep, telling him to be careful and remember his lifeline.

"I promise I'll remember it," Percy said, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face. "After all, it is you. How can I forget you?"

Annabeth blushed and rolled her eyes. "You're so cheesy, Seaweed Brain."

Percy grinned. "But you love me anyway."

Piper sighed. "They are so cute," she whispered to Jason. Jason realized that Piper did have an Aphrodite side.

"You ready, Jason?" Percy asked. Annabeth was still gripping his bicep, a worried look on her face. Jason nodded. He squeezed Piper's hand. "Be careful," she told him one more time. "You remember your lifeline also. I don't want you to die."

Jason grinned. "No worries. I'll remember." He turned to Percy. "So what am I supposed to do again?"

"When you dive in, keep your mind centered on one spot that links you to mortal life. That spot will be your only vulnerable spot when you come back. If you lose your focus on that spot, you'll die. No pressure, or anything." Percy smiled innocently. "You ready?"

Jason nodded. He squeezed Piper's hand one more time and turned to the edge of the boat. He saw Percy give Annabeth a hug and turn to sit next to Jason. "On three," Percy said. "One, two..."

When Percy said three, they both dived into the water.

(*********)

Jason thought he knew what pain felt like. Well, he was wrong.

As he fell into the murk, all he could process was the pain. The River Styx was like jumping into a pot of boiling acid and then getting stabbed a billion times. Then having salt poured into the wound. Times a billion. Even then, Jason wasn't sure he was close to what the pain felt like. Jason struggled to remember his name, his girlfriend, anything. But he could slowly feel his life force slipping away in the current of the river.

"Jason!" Jason heard a familiar voice call his name. He looked around, trying to find out where the voice was coming from.

"Jason!" Jason could hear it clearly now, through the murk. "Jason, can you hear me?"

Jason felt a tug on the bottom of his big toe. He remembered what Percy said:

_Keep your mind centered on one spot that links you to mortal life. That spot will be your only vulnerable spot when you come back. If you lose your focus on that spot, you'll die. _

Jason centered his attention on his toe. It was actually a good spot, if you thought about it. Not very dignified, but does dignity matter when you're going to die?

"Jason! Are you all right?" Jason looked in the direction the voice was coming from. Piper stood on the deck of the Argo ll. She was calling down to him. "Jason! Please tell me you're all right!"

Jason had fallen off of the Argo ll. Piper was nervous. That's it. Everything's okay.

"Jason!"

Jason resurfaced. "Piper!" Piper reached out to help Jason into the rowboat. "Jason!" she cried. He layed his head in her lap. "Are you okay? Your arms!"

Jason looked at his arms. They were bright red and stinging. "I'm fine," he said. He looked around the boat. Annabeth was gripping the edge of the boat so hard, her knuckles were white. She searched the water desperately, waiting for a glimpse of her boyfriend.

"She's been like that since you guys jumped in," Piper explained. "Which was about ten minutes ago."

"Percy hasn't come up yet?" Jason asked.

Piper shook her head. "No sign of him. And you can get up from my lap now."

"What if I don't want to?" Jason asked, an evil grin spreading across his face.

Piper laughed and rolled her eyes. "Fine by me."

Just then, Percy burst out of the water, gasping. He grabbed the edge of the boat, almost causing them to fall out. "Percy!" Annabeth cried. She grabbed Percy's wrist and pulled him in. He collapsed in Annabeth's lap, just like Jason had in Piper's. Annabeth stroked his hair and and laughed in relief. "Oh, I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Thanks," Percy said. "So am I." Percy lifted his hand and waved at Jason. "Sup."

"Sup," Jason replied with a smile. Piper and Annabeth laughed. "Come on," Annabeth said. "Piper and I will row the boat back while you boys rest."

"Don't I get a kiss for surviving?" Percy asked. He smiled innocently.

"No," Annabeth replied, glaring at Percy.

"Why?"

"Because you went in the first place."

Jason looked up at Piper. "Do I get a kiss?"

"Nope," Piper said with a smile. "For the same reason as Annabeth."

"Awww," Jason whined. Piper laughed and picked up an oar. "Let's go, Annabeth."

(*********)

"Jason."

Jason yawned and covered his head with his pillow. After his dip in the Styx, he became exhausted and crashed when they reached the Argo ll. He's sure Percy did too.

"Jason, wake up."

Jason groaned and rolled over. He wanted to go back to his dream of using his awesome new invulnerability to punch Octavian. Oh, right in the nose... Suddenly, he felt some ice cold substance consume him. He shot straight out of bed, and into the face of his best friend, Leo. He glanced at the alarm clock next to the bed. It read 3:23. Jason yawned and sat up. "Dude, what are you waking me up for at three in the morning?"

Leo looked scared. His curly hair was messed up and his clothes were wrinkled and twisted, like he'd been flailing around in his sleep. His eyes had a wild glint in them and his face was etched with fright. "Leo, what's wrong?"

"I've seen Hazel before," Leo said.

"Where? Maybe at the mall or something?" Jason suggested.

"No," Leo said. His face scrunched up in frustration. "I saw her back in 1941."

**Yes! I finally updated less than a week after I last updated! I'm so excited right now! **

**Please review! I only got four reviews for the last chapter. I know it wasn't very good, but seriously? You could've at least given me words of advice! So PLEASE review! It makes me so happy! **

**Good-bye, dear friends who are hopefully going to review this chapter!**

**"Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. For He wounds, but He also binds up; He injures, but His hands also heal. From six calamities He will rescue you; in seven no harm will befall you." Job 5:17-19**


	12. Chapter 12

**Yay! You guys are awesome! I'm glad you all liked the last chapter! It wasn't my best, kind of short and choppy, but oh well! **

**Okay, so I messed up again. I know, right? Big surprise! Anywho, I kept on saying that the final battle and all is going to be in Rome and that that's where they're headed and all that jazz, but then I said that they're headed for Greece then Rome. So I was all like, what was I thinking? So I came up with a way to fix it, but it won't exactly follow what the first two books in the HoO series tell us. Sorry!**

**We have a fiftieth reviewer! PercyJackson Is SeaweedBrain is our fiftieth reviewer! Yay! Congratulations! She has chosen an OC instead of advertisement. Her OC will enter the story in a few chapters! **

**Disclaimer: Rick Riordan owns PJO. I don't.**

Chapter 12-Jason

Jason stared at Leo. A sudden chill ran through the room and Jason pulled the sheets closer to him. Leo trembled where he sat. Jason had never seen him so frightened before. "What? Leo, that's impossible. You weren't alive in 1941."

Leo shook his head. "Oh, I was, all right. Just not as Leo Valdez."

"Then as who?"

"Sammy Valdez." That name sounded familiar to Jason. He thought that Hazel had mentioned that name once, while he was still at Camp Jupiter. She had said something about how that was one of her close friends in New Orleans. But Jason and the rest of his friends thought that Sammy was more than just a close friend to her.

Suddenly, it all clicked in Jason's mind. The way Hazel stared at Leo, Leo's last name, Leo telling him that he'd seen Hazel before. "Leo, you were..."

"Reborn," Leo finished. That word echoed in the air, haunting Jason's thoughts. Reborn. Not just, oh, I've seen Hazel before at the mall. Or, I've seen Hazel in old pictures with my grandfather. No, Leo had been _reborn_. "How do you know? I mean, that you've been reborn?"

Leo took a deep breath. "I had a dream. Hephaestus said that he got permission from Hades to tell me. He showed me pictures and clips from my life with Hazel. Even gave me some memories. Sammy was a demigod too. The son of Zeus."

Jason stared at Leo. He was wringing his hands together nervously and he adverted his gaze to where he wasn't looking at Jason. "You're not telling me everything," Jason concluded. "There was something else that happened in the dream."

"It's awful," Leo whispered. "Are you sure you want to hear it?"

Jason nodded. "I'm one hundred percent positive."

"The line from the Great Prophecy, 'An oath to keep with a final breath.' I know what it means."

Jason leaned forward, listening intently.

"It's about Hazel. She's the one who's going to die. And, Jason," Leo looked at Jason helplessly. "I'm going to be responsible for her death."

Leo's words rang through the room. Jason studied his friend. Leo was usually chirpy and bubbly, but tonight he looked like he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. His eyes had bags under them and his cheeks were tear-stained, as if he'd been crying in his sleep. Jason guessed Leo had an excuse to look the way he did. He was just told that he was reborn and that the girl he liked in his old life was going to die because of him. Yeah, that's a lot to take in in one night.

"So are you going to tell Hazel," Jason asked. "I mean, can you?"

Leo shrugged, looking miserable. "I don't know. I guess I can. But I don't necessarily want to."

"Well, you just do what you think's best," Jason said. "I don't really know what else to tell you."

Leo shook his head. "You don't have to tell me anything. I just had to tell someone."

"Leo," Jason said, completely ignoring his friend, "do you think your dad told you this because it'll affect what you do?"

Leo shook his head. "I don't know. This is all so overwhelming, I can't think straight." Leo buried his head in his hands and sat there. Jason awkwardly patted his back, in an attempt to comfort him.

Leo took his face out of his hands and took a shaky breath. "Thanks for listening, Jason," he said. "I better go and try to get some rest. Who knows what we'll encounter tomorrow."

"Yeah," Jason agreed. "Night."

"Night," Leo said as he got up and walked out the door.

(*********)

Jason walked into the kitchen the next morning, sore and exhausted. He was surprised to see everyone all ready up and active. Piper was sitting at the island next to Leo, who still looked scared, confused, and exhausted. Piper was trying to use her charmspeak to get Leo to tell her what's wrong, but by some miracle, it wasn't working. Leo stared at Hazel, who sat on the other side of the island, looking at maps with Annabeth. Frank and Percy stood at the counter, getting food. Frank looked rested and ready to fight any monster that was thrown his way, but Percy looked like he was about to drop dead from exhaustion. He had bags beneath his eyes and he yawned constantly. When he walked over and set a bowl of food down in front of Annabeth, he winced. He was probably still sore from their dip in the Styx the day before. They had gotten back from the Underworld around lunchtime. Both Percy and Jason had wanted to go straight to bed, but Piper and Annabeth, being the awesome, amazing girlfriends that they are, forced them to eat before they could sleep. Piper had had to feed him by the time he was halfway through his sandwich, he was so tired. Percy hadn't been much better.

Jason yawned and sat down next to Piper at the island. "Morning," he said drowsily.

"Morning," she replied chirpily, planting a kiss on his cheek. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," Jason replied. "And sore. And tired."

Piper laughed. "Well, we need to get some food into you. Maybe that will make you feel better." She got up off her stool and walked over to the counter.

"Yeah," Jason said doubtfully. But he followed Piper over to the counter.

"Do you want some cereal or do you want me to make you something? I can make you eggs or toast. Or I could pop a waffle into the toaster."

"I'll have a Poptart," Jason said, grabbing a cinnamon Poptart out of the box. He walked back over to the island. As he passed, he heard Percy asking Annabeth if she could feed him his cereal because he was still tired. Annabeth rolled her eyes, but said that she would. Percy brightened a bit, and Jason got the sneaking suspicion that Percy was lying about being too tired to feed himself.

Jason sat down on his stool and tore open his Poptart. Piper laughed as she watched Jason devour the delicious tart. "Someone was hungry," she said, as she got up to get him a glass of milk. Jason scooted over towards Leo.

"Hey," he said. "Did you ever fall asleep again?"

Leo shook his head. "Nope. I couldn't even get a wink in."

"You do realize that Piper's charmspeak had no effect on you, right?" Jason asked, referencing to what he witnessed when he walked in.

Leo looked surprised. "Really? I didn't know she was using her charmspeak on me."

Jason nodded. "She was. It was so strong, I almost went over to her and told her every single problem I've had in life that I haven't over come yet."

Leo cracked a smile. "That would've been funny."

Just then, Piper walked back over, two glasses of milk in her hand. "Here you go, Sparky," she said, setting a glass down in front of him and keeping one for herself. "That's the last thing I'm getting for you today."

"What? Why?" Jason argued.

"I just don't feel like rewarding someone who almost got himself killed yesterday," Piper replied. Judging from the glare he was receiving from her, Jason guessed Piper was still slightly mad at him for bathing in the River Styx. Jason suddenly flashed back to the vision he had while in the river. The one of him falling off of the Argo ll. Did that mean Piper was his lifeline? But how could that be? He's only known Piper for a little less than a year!

_Love works in mysterious ways,_ Aphrodite would say. Ugh.

"Jason?" Jason was jerked out of his daze. Piper had her hand on his shoulder and Hazel and Annabeth were staring at him. Leo was off in space, Frank was looking at the maps, and Percy was asleep on Annabeth's shoulder.

"Hm?" Jason asked stupidly.

"Did you hear the plan?" Annabeth asked. "We're asking for your approval since you and Percy are the leaders. And Percy's asleep right now, so your the only leader awake."

"I didn't hear the plan," Jason mumbled. "Sorry."

"The plan was," Piper said gently, "to head straight towards Rome. That's where the Doors of Death are."

"Don't we need to go to Greece also?" Jason asked. "You know, since that's like, the roots of the gods are and all? And wouldn't the Doors of Death be there instead?"

Annabeth nodded. "You see, that's the thing. Why would we need to go to Rome, if Gaea is going to destroy the gods in Greece? Why would the gods say that the final battle will take place in Rome?"

"Uhhh," Jason said, completely lost.

"I want pancakes, Mom," Percy mumbled in his sleep. Annabeth rolled her eyes and elbowed him.

"I'm awake!" he yelled as he flew off of Annabeth's shoulder. "What'd I miss?" he asked as he stared at everyone's amused faces.

"We were just discussing our stragety, Percy," Frank explained. "Would you care to join us? Or do you want to go back to dreaming about your mom and pancakes?" Frank laughed when Percy turned red.

"Whatever," Percy grumbled. "So what's the plan?"

"I was saying," Annabeth said, "that if Gaea wants to destroy the gods in Greece, why would the final battle be in Rome? Why would we even be going to Rome?" Everyone stared at Percy and Jason as if this were the easiest question ever.

"I don't know," Jason finally said.

"I don't know either," Percy agreed.

"Because Gaea would rise in Rome," Annabeth said. "She would awaken in Rome and make her way slowly towards Greece, where she will end the Age of the Gods."

"Uhhh, I don't know if I'm the only one confused about this," Percy said, "but if Gaea's rising in Rome and making her way to Greece, wouldn't the final battle be there, not Rome?"

"Don't you see?" Annabeth asked. "If we get to Rome first, stop Gaea from rising, then she won't have a chance to make her way to Greece."

"Wait," Jason said. "Where do the Doors of Death come in?"

"There in Rome," Frank said. Jason looked at him.

"How do you know?" he asked.

"I had a dream last night. Mars told me that Gaea is going to awaken at the Doors, which are in Rome. So, yeah. They're in Rome."

"Oh," Jason said. "That makes sense."

"So do you understand now?" Annabeth asked Jason and Percy. Jason looked at Percy, who was looking at Jason. They both nodded.

"Rome, here we come," Jason muttered.

(*********)

_Clang._

Piper's dagger, Katoptris, clattered against the ground as Jason lifted the point of his sword to her undefended chest. They both were breathing heavily. "Good job," Piper said, a smile spreading across her face.

"Thanks," Jason said. "You did great also." He lowered his sword and went and took a sip of his water. Piper followed him. It was just the two of them out on the deck. Leo was preparing lunch in the kitchen. Jason had offered to help, but Leo had shot him a look that said, _I need to be alone and think right now._ Hazel and Annabeth were in the game room, discussing battle strageties. Percy and Frank were in there with them, but they were most likely either playing a game or sitting on the couches with their girlfriends, bored out of their minds.

Jason had suggested that Piper and him go spar on the deck. Piper agreed eagerly, saying that she needed as much practice as she could get before they reached Rome.

"So," Jason said awkwardly, sitting down on a bench.

"So," Piper answered, sitting down next to him.

"How do you feel about the whole, uh, prophecy situation?" Jason asked. He immediately regretted it when he saw pain and confusion written all over her face.

Piper sighed and said, "I'm a little nervous about it, but what can I do? The prophecy says I'm going to die, so I'll probably die. I might as well enjoy the last few days of my life, not worry about a stupid prophecy." Piper's voice was full of fright and, was that venom? It was like she was holding a grudge against the prophecy and anything or anyone who had something to do with it. Jason smiled.

"What?" Piper asked, noticing Jason smiling.

Jason took her hand, electricity soaring through his veins at her touch. "You're not accepting your fate."

Piper glanced down at their interlaced fingers. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that you're not listening to what the prophecy says about you. You're still believing that there's hope, that you won't die."

Piper rolled her eyes. "You're delusional. If I die, I die. I can't prevent it."

"You don't need to act like that with me, Piper. You can talk to me about anything."

"I know," Piper said quietly. "I guess...I am still hoping that I won't die, that the prophecy means something else. But I don't know. All I know is that if I go down, I'm going down fighting."

"And I'll be fighting right alongside you." It had just slipped out of Jason's mouth, he hadn't even meant to say it. He blushed, nervous that he had scared Piper off. Maybe it was too early in their relationship to be saying things like that. But the glint of happiness in Piper's eyes relaxed Jason. The corners of her mouth turned up slightly.

"Are you going to try to survive?" Jason asked. "No matter what the prophecy says?"

Piper was silent for a minute, thinking through her answer. "If there's a chance, I guess. I wouldn't just _die_, not with so many great people left behind. But what scares me is, what if there isn't a chance that I'll survive? What if the Fates have all ready sealed my fate?"

Jason locked eyes with Piper. Piper was desperately searching his eyes for comfort. Jason couldn't imagine how hard this was for her. Then, Jason knew his next move. He was leaning down towards her, his body reacting before his mind could process what he was doing. Jason gently pressed his lips against Piper's.

It was like getting hit with lightning. That's what kissing Piper felt like. At her touch, electricity ran through his body, shocking every molecule. But still, he needed more. Jason wrapped his arms around her delicate waist and pulled him to her. Piper hesitated, unsure of what to do, but eventually gave in and threw her arms around Jason's neck. Here it was, finally. Their first kiss. Their first _real_ kiss. Not a peck on the lips or lips to the cheek. A full on kiss, consuming Jason, melting him to the ground.

Piper pulled away to catch her breath. She smiled at Jason. He could tell she felt the exact same way he did: like every molecule in his body was being ripped apart and sewn back together. And they both abolutely loved it.

"Well," Piper said, untangling herself from Jason, "that was...satisfying."

Jason laughed. "I think your mom would be proud."

Piper punched him. "Shut it, Sparky."

"You want to go spar again?" Jason asked.

Piper smiled evilly. "You are losing this time, Lightning Face."

Jason mocked hurt. "Lightning Face? Stick to Sparky, Beauty Queen."

Piper rolled her eyes and grabbed Katoptris. "Come on. Be ready to get your buttocks whipped by a daughter of Aphrodite."

Then the screaming began.

(*********)

Jason and Piper raced downstairs to the game room. They threw open the door to find Frank crumpled in a heap on the ground, clutching his hand. Hazel was on the ground next to him, stroking his cheek, tears in her eyes. Annabeth and Percy were standing in front of a man, weapons drawn. The man had slick black hair and frightning green eyes, which stood out against his tan skin. He was wearing a black tuxedo, and was smiling a sickly, menacing smile. And he was staring right at Jason.

"Well," the guy said. "Who have we here?"

"Who are you?" Jason demanded. "And what did you do to my friend?"

The guy kept on smiling as he said, "I simply gave him what he deserved. After all, that's what I'm here for."

"Don't listen to him!" Annabeth cried.

"Who are you?" Jason asked again.

The man smiled evilly. "I am Mormo, punisher of bad children. And you are certainly being very bad children."

Jason saw Annabeth's eyes widen. "No way." Jason and Percy looked at her, confused. Piper seemed to understand.

"How can we..." Piper muttered.

"Mormo is an ancient Greek monster, a vampiric demon," Annabeth explained quickly, eyeing the monster. "He feeds on children who misbehave."

"Yes," Mormo said, confirming what Annabeth had just said. "And you have gone beyond bad, my dears. You have refused to help Gaea, refused to surrender to her. She has sent me after you to ask you one more time: surrender. If you don't, you will die."

"You seriously think we're going to surrender?" Percy asked. "I'm impressed. Gaea never does give up, does she?"

"No, she doesn't," Mormo said. "So I take it that you are not surrendering?"

"Not in a million years," Percy said. He lifted his sword and said, "Bring it on, Mr. Cullen!"**(Haha! Get it? The Cullens from Twilight are vampires and Mormo is, technically, a vampire! Haha...Man, my jokes are lame.)**

"Very well." Mormo's eyes turned a blood red and he grew two sharp fangs. He lunged at Annabeth. Annabeth screamed and thrust her knife at the vampire. Mormo sidestepped, but he still had a firm grip on Annabeth's arm. Annabeth tried desperately to get away, but Mormo was surprisingly strong. He prepared to sink his fangs into her neck.

Jason glanced over to see what Percy would do. Percy's face was filled with rage. He yelled something like, "Get your hands off of my girlfriend!" and tackled Mormo. Him and Mormo flew to the ground, Percy stabbing at his face and Mormo biting at his arm. Piper ran over to see if Annabeth was all right. Jason watched her go, then ran over to Hazel and Frank.

"Hey," he said, crouching down next to Hazel. "What happened?"

Hazel looked up at him, her eyes full of tears. "Mormo appeared out of nowhere. We all drew our weapons and surrounded him. Then, Frank ran at Mormo and he turned around and bit his hand."

Jason looked down at Frank. His skin was deathly pale, like his body had been robbed entirely of blood. His eyes were closed and his breath was jagged. Jason grabbed the hand that was bit and examined it. There was nothing there except to small puncture marks. No blood, no nothing.

"We have to heal him," Hazel muttered.

"How?"

"I don't know! We just do!" Hazel looked so desperate, it made Jason hurt that he couldn't do anything to help her. Or could he...

Jason glanced over to where Percy was fighting Mormo. Mormo had Percy pinned and was glaring menacingly at him. "You have been very bad," Mormo said, sounding strangely like a mother. "It is time to face the consequences."

Everything happened in slow motion. Mormo leaned down to bite Percy's neck. Annabeth screamed bloody-murder and started towards her boyfriend, but Piper grabbed her arms, muttering something about Percy being invulnerable. It didn't calm her down. Annabeth struggled against Piper. She looked at Jason pleadingly, as if to say, _Help him, Jason._ Jason nodded and ran towards Percy.

Mormo disintegrated into dust with a blood-chilling shriek, before Jason could process what had happened. He had ran over to Percy's aid and stabbed Mormo in the back. That's what had happened. Jason smiled to himself. Finally, Jason had saved Percy instead of Percy saving Jason.

Annabeth ran over to Percy. "Don't you ever do that again, Perseus Jackson. You could've died! What were you thinking?" She punched him, and immediately cradled her hand. Percy smiled at her and gave her a kiss. Piper walked over to him and smiled. "It's so cute," she said.

Jason looked at her. "What is?"

Piper gestured to Percy and Annabeth. "Them. The love they have for each other is so strong and obvious. It's cute. No, it's awesome." Piper sighed. Jason didn't think he would ever get used to the Aphrodite side of Piper.

Leo ran through the door. He held a ginormo hammer in one hand and a kitchen knife in the other. He looked around the room. "What happened? I heard a bang, then a thump, then screaming." Leo noticed Frank on the ground. "And what happened to him?"

Jason ran over to Frank. "We'll explain later, Leo. Right now, we need to get Frank and Percy to the water ASAP."

Percy looked at Jason, confused. "Why?"

"I think you know why," Jason said, winking at him. Percy nodded, understanding now.

I'll help you carry him," Percy said getting up. He walked over and together, with a lot of grunting and grumbling, they both managed to get Frank to the deck.

"We need to stop the boat," Percy said, looking at Leo.

"No problemo," Leo said and snapped his fingers. Immediately, the boat stopped moving.

"How'd you do that?" Piper asked, amazed. Jason was wondering the same thing.

Leo shrugged. "Let's just say I made some modifications when you weren't looking." He grinned mischievously. Jason concluded that the scared, hysterical Leo last night was gone and old, jokester Leo was back. Jason liked it that way.

"Now we need to throw him over," Percy said.

"What?" Hazel cried. "We are _not_ throwing him over."

"Relax, Haze," Percy said. "I'm the son of Poseidon."

"Still-"

"Jason, on the count of three," Percy said. "One, two, three!"

Jason threw Frank over the side of the boat. They heard a splash and Hazel screamed. Percy rolled his eyes at her and jumped in after him.

"Percy!" Annabeth yelled.

Percy's head popped up out of the water. He winked at everyone and swam over to Frank. Jason watched with intensity as Percy lifted his fingertips to Frank's fingertips. He closed his eyes and water started running from his hand into Frank's puncture marks. The water looked like it was hardening into skin as the wound closed up.

"Gross," Leo muttered from next to him.

Frank's eyes opened and he gasped. "Vampire!" he screamed.

Percy laughed. "It's gone, dude. Calm down."

"Did I- did I pass out?" Frank asked, looking around. "And why am I in the ocean?"

"Yes, you did pass out after Mormo bit you. We brought you into the ocean so I could heal you, before you died, leaving us forever," Percy said cheerfully.

Frank swallowed. "Thanks."

"Frank!" Hazel cried. Frank looked up and saw Hazel on the deck. He swam over to the rope ladder that hung limply off the side of the boat where Leo had lowered it. He climbed up it and Hazel tackled him in a hug. "I-I thought you were dead!"

Frank looked stunned, but then returned the hug. "I'm okay," he said. Jason glanced back at Leo, who was watching them with a painful expression on his face.

"It'll be okay," Jason said. "You'll see." Leo smiled at him gratefully.

"Hey guys!" Percy called from the water. "Come get in the water! It feels great!"

Jason glanced Leo. Leo shrugged and they both ripped off their shirts and dove in. Jason felt instantly refreshed as his body collided with the water. He resurfaced and gave Percy and Leo a high-five. Then a splash sounded to the right of the and Frank popped out of the water. "Hey, guys," he said. "Water does feel good, Perce."

"I know, right?" Percy said, giving him a high-five also. "Now we just need to figure out how to get the girls in." Percy looked up at the girls, who were leaning over the side, laughing at the boys.

"You should use your water powers," Leo suggested.

"Yeah," Frank agreed. "You could like, make a big wave to go a drench them."

"Or," Percy smiled mischievously, "I could do this." Percy lifted his hand and a huge hand made of water sprouted out of the ocean, grabbing Hazel off of the deck. She shrieked as she fell down into the water. Percy made a grabbing gesture with his hand and the water hand grabbed Piper. She fell into the water next to Jason. Jason searched for her put he couldn't find her. "Piper?"

Suddenly, he felt something grab his leg. "Shark!" he screamed. "Shark!"

Everyone turned to stare at him. Piper popped out of the water, squirting water out of her mouth. She was laughing so hard. "I-it was j-just me, J-Jason!" she laughed.

"Oh. Right. I knew that," Jason muttered, embarrassed. Piper laughed again. She glanced up and gestured for Jason to glance up also. Percy was on top of a water column, grabbing at Annabeth, who was running from him, laughing at his frustrated look. "Come on, Anniebeth," he pleaded. "Get in the water."

"Nope," Annabeth said, smiling sweetly.

"Please?" Percy asked one more time.

"No, Percy. I'm not getting in the water."

Percy scrunched his eyebrows up in frustration. Then, his eyes lit up, like he got an idea. He smiled at Annabeth. He thrust out his fist and the water hand he created copied his motion. It wrapped around Annabeth when Percy closed his hand.

"Percy, what are you doing?" Annabeth shrieked. She was trying to fight off the water but failing to do so.

"I'm getting you in the water, Wise Girl," Percy answered, smiling at her. He pulled his fist towards him, which made the water come towards him also. He wrapped his arms around Annabeth's waist and held her tightly.

"Let go of me, Percy!" Annabeth struggled against Percy's grasp. Percy ignored her and focused on getting the water column to lower. Jason smiled as Annabeth kept struggling, until she made the mistake of hitting him. "Ow!" she cried, clutching her hand.

"Sorry," Percy said. Annabeth kept trying to get away and Percy eyebrows scrunched more everytime Annabeth pushed away from him.

"Calm down!" Percy told her. "Do you seriously think that I'll let you drown?"

"No," Annabeth answered, who has stopped hitting Percy, and was now smiling sweetly at him. "But I don't want to get my clothes wet."

Jason saw Percy roll his eyes. "Really, Annabeth? Usually, you don't care about your clothes."

"Yeah, but today, I decided to care." Annabeth was still smiling sweetly at him. Percy's water hand was falling faster and faster. Jason and Piper watched as Percy broke his concentration about three feet from the water, and the column disappeared. Percy held Annabeth has they both collided with the water.

"I agree," Jason told Piper. "They are awesome. I can't believe Percy does stuff like dragging his girlfriend into the water, without worrying that she's going to kill him."

"Rachel told me that they've been best friends for years," Piper said, looking at the, now surfaced, couple. Annabeth was laughing as she splashed water in Percy's face. Percy wiped his eyes and grinned at her. A huge wave came and engulfed Annabeth. Percy laughed when Annabeth popped up completely soaked. "I guess he's used to it."

"Yeah," Jason said. Then, being the great boyfriend that he was, he dunked Piper. She resurfaced, coughing, and said, "You are so going to get it, Sparky."

**Yay! New chapter! I finally finished it! **

**So I don't own Mormo either. He's actually a Greek monster who bit bad children. Great guy. I don't know if his bites actually killed them, but in this chapter, it could've killed Frank if they had waited any longer. So, yeah. **

**I just have to apologize for a couple things. I'm sorry about the pathetic nicknames. I stink at coming up with good nicknames. And about the plan to go to Rome not Greece. I completely messed up, so that's the best thing I could come up with to fix it. Sorry.:( It doesn't follow the book. **

**Btw, I hope you liked the Jasper in this chapter. I don't know, it just didn't seem like them, but oh well. If you liked it, I'll add more!**

**Bye!**

**"You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. " Jeremiah 29:13**

**"Come near to God, and He will come near to you." James 4:8A**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey! So thanks for all of the reviews. They made my day. ;)**

**I posted a new story! It's called Intertwined. It's a Hunger Games/Percy Jackson crossover. Go read it! Please. :)**

**So one of my best friends has read this story, and she requested a lot of Percabeth. So there's going to be a lot of Percabeth. Beware.**

**Disclaimer: I seriously don't know why we have to do this. None of us are Rick Riordan! But, alas, I do not own PJO.**

Chapter 13- Annabeth(Yay!)

"What do you think Piper and Jason were doing out on the deck?" Annabeth asked Percy. They were floating in the water, a little ways from everyone else. Annabeth was completely soaked, thanks to her boyfriend, and Percy was wet too. When Annabeth asked him about it, he said that he wanted everyone else to feel comfortable. "They both came in the game room blushing like crazy."

"They were sparring," Percy said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Most people don't blush while sparring, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said. "They sweat."

"You blush," Percy said, winking. Annabeth tackled him and he sunk underwater, dragging Annabeth down with him. He kept going, farther and farther. Annabeth was losing air. She started hitting Percy lightly, so she wouldn't hurt her hand. He seemed to understand and created an bubble for them.

"Thanks," Annabeth said, after she finished coughing. She leaned against the side, facing Percy. She smiled.

"What?" Percy asked.

"Nothing," Annabeth said. "It's just that everytime you make an underwater bubble, I think of when we first got together."

Now it was Percy's turn to smile. He pulled her next to him and draped an arm around her. "Yeah. I wish everything was as simple as it was back then."

Annabeth nodded, then leaned her head on Percy's shoulder. "Compared to what we're facing now, the Titan War seems like paradise."

"Yeah," Percy agreed. He straightened a bit and grinned at Annabeth. "You seemed really scared for me when Mormo attacked, Wise Girl."

"I wasn't scared. He just took me by surprise, that's all," Annabeth said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Uh huh," Percy said, rolling her eyes.

"So how do you feel about your Achilles curse?" Annabeth asked, trying to change the subject. "Which I still haven't forgiven you about." She glared at him.

"Hey!" Percy protested. "It was the only way. Would you rather me die or dominate in battle?"

"You could've died just by becoming invulnerable! What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that I wanted to protect my girlfriend as best as I can from Gaea's forces, who are after her."

Annabeth was silent for a moment. "Percy," she finally said, "it's going to take a lot more than an Achilles curse to protect me. Those monsters, they will stop at nothing to get me. One guy like you can't stop them all. Even if you are invulnerable."

"I know," Percy said quietly. "But there's nothing wrong with hoping that it'll be enough."

Annabeth sighed and leaned in closer to Percy. "I don't want you to get your hopes up and then me die. You'd be heartbroken," she whispered.

"Annabeth, I'll never stop believing," Percy whispered back. "And you can't change that."

They both sat their quietly, basking in each other's presence. Annabeth traced circles on Percy's arm while he played with her hair. Schools of fish would swim by, but Percy would tell them to go away. At one point, a Great White swam by. Annabeth gripped Percy's arm, and pointed to the shark that was a few feet away from where their bubble was at.

"Go away," Percy told it. "And leave the other people that are swimming up there alone."

Annabeth relaxed her death grip on Percy's arm. "Thanks," she said.

"No problem," Percy said nonchalantly. "Oh, and it's our turn to cook dinner tonight."

"Really?" Annabeth asked. "Since when?"

"Since Leo said that we are all taking turns and tonight is our night. So what do you want to have?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "We should probably go up, Seaweed Brain. Everyone is probably wondering where we are."

(*********)

"Percy, stop!" Annabeth giggled. Percy and her were making pizza, but Percy kept on eating the sausage. "Seriously! We aren't going to have any left for pizza."

"So?" Percy asked, his mouth full. "Who cares?"

"I do," Annabeth said, snatching the bowl away from him and setting it on the counter. "Now, please go get the cheese from the fridge so we can hurry and cook the pizza." Percy did as he was asked and grabbed the cheese out of the fridge.

"Here you go," he said, setting it on the counter. He hopped up next to it and said, "You know, we should go for swims more often. Since we only have so much more opportunities for fun left in our lives."

Annabeth glared at Percy. "No, we shouldn't."

"Awww, but Annabeth-"

"No, Percy. I don't want to go swimming again." Annabeth popped the pizza in the oven and set the timer. She walked over to the sink, wet a cloth, and started wiping down the counter.

"So what's your idea of fun?" Percy asked, hopping off of the counter.

Annabeth shrugged. "Reading, architecture, swordplay-"

"Hanging out with your boyfriend?" Percy interrupted, circling his arms around her.

Annabeth crossed her arms and acted like she was thinking. "Hmmm, I don't know," she said. "he can be quite annoying sometimes."

"Hey! I am not annoying!"

"And he can be obnoxious," Annabeth continued. "And impulsive."

"Who is this person you speak of?" Percy asked.

Annabeth laughed. "But I love him anyway. I don't know why, but I do." She gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Come on," Percy complained. "If you love me, at least give me a kiss on the lips!"

Annabeth smirked at his pout. "Nope. I still don't think you deserve one."

"Please?" Percy gave her his best puppy dog face.

"No, Seaweed Brain." Just then, the oven went off. Annabeth walked over and pulled the pizza out of the oven. It was steaming and the cheese was melted just right, stringy and soft. The crust was nice and crispy, just the way Annabeth liked it.

Percy practically drooled over the pizza, but Annabeth pushed him away and sliced it in pieces. "Hey, Perce, can you go tell everyone that dinner's ready? That'd be a big help. And it just might earn you a kiss." Percy brightened and practically ran out of the room, yelling that dinner was ready.

Annabeth chuckled to herself and started pouring cups of water. Piper came in and stood next to Annabeth. "Hey," she said. "Need help?"

"No thanks," Annabeth answered. "But I do have a question. Did you and Jason kiss? Like for real?"

Piper blushed and nodded. "Yeah. It was...amazing."

Annabeth smiled. "I'm really happy for you." Jason and Leo came in, arguing about some football play. Hazel came in next reading a book. "Hey, Hazel," Annabeth said, sitting down next to her at the table. "What book are you reading?"

"Cinder," Hazel said, not looking up from her book.

"Cool," Annabeth said. "What's it about?"

"Oh!" Hazel exclaimed eagerly. "It's like a futuristic Cinderella. Except her name is Cinder and she's a cyborg. It's so good!"

"If I can find it in Greek, I'll totally read it," Annabeth promised. Hazel smiled and when back to her book. Frank and Percy came in, talking about Zeus-knows-what. Percy immediately said he'd be right back and walked up to Annabeth. "I got everyone. Do I get a kiss now?" Percy's expression was so hopeful, it was funny.

Annabeth laughed. "You sure do." She gave him a peck on the lips and turned away.

"Hey!" Percy argued. "That's not a kiss!"

"Um, yes, it was a kiss, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said. "A kiss is when someone's lips touches another person's lips. So, yes, that was a kiss."

Percy pouted. "That's not fair."

"Life isn't fair," Annabeth said. She picked up the pizza from the counter and carried it over to the table. "Here you go guys."

Annabeth sat down next to Hazel and grabbed a slice of pizza. Percy plopped down next to her and took about three slices. They were all quiet, eating and drinking, and enjoying each other's company. "So, Leo," Annabeth said, breaking the silence. "How long do you think it'll take before we get to Rome?"

Leo thought. "Roughly, a week or two. So don't worry, Annabeth. You and Percy will have plenty of kissy time."

"If I can get her to kiss me," Percy muttered. Annabeth laughed.

"And we might take a pit stop," Leo continued.

"Where?" Frank asked.

"France," Leo said, smiling. "So, Beauty Queen, you're going to feel right at home." Piper glared at him.

They ate the rest of dinner talking and joking around. It was just like a regular dinner with friends. It felt nice to be normal for once.

"Annabeth," Percy whispered in Annabeth's ear. "Look." Annabeth followed Percy's gaze over to Piper and Jason. They were teasing each other, as usual, but Jason had his arm around Piper.

Annabeth smiled. "Looks like they're getting more comfortable with each other."

"Now if only we can get Hazel and Frank to get comfortable," Percy teased, gesturing towards the couple. Frank was talking to Jason and Hazel was still absorbed in her book.

"Since when did you become Mr. Matchmaker?" Annabeth said smiling.

Percy shrugged. "Aphrodite's getting to me."

"Hey guys," Frank said. "Do we have a certain stragety for when we reach Rome?"

"Why do we need a stragety?" Leo asked. "We just whip some monster's buttocks and get out of there?"

"Because we can't," Frank argued. "We need a stragety. We can't just wing everything."

Leo turned red. "Hey! I-"

"Leo," Piper said, her charmspeak thick. "Frank. Calm down. It's fine. He didn't mean it like that, Leo."

"Yeah," Frank said dreamily. "Sorry, Leo."

"It's fine," Leo said. "So, uh, what do you think the prophecy means?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

Annabeth felt a cold shiver down her back. The prophecy had been bothering her ever since Rachel had recited it. Something about it wasn't just right. It was on the tip of Annabeth's tongue, but she couldn't figure it out. Percy's arm tightened around Annabeth. She put on her brave face. "Well," she said. "I think we are going to win."

"How do you know?" Jason asked.

"One of the lines. _Beauty's child's charm saves the war._ What else could that mean?"

Everyone was silent. "What's the blessing of your mom?" Hazel asked.

"Uh, I don't know," Annabeth said. She reviewed everything she knew about Athena, which was a lot. She couldn't remember a thing about blessings from Athena. She yawned. "Wow, I'm tired. I'm going to head to bed. Night, guys."

"Night," everyone said. Annabeth walked out of the kitchen and headed to her room. She had some research to do.

(*********)

Annabeth landed in a glistening underground room. A sparkling pond sat in the center a fruit tree was planted next to it. The walls had various jewels embedded in them and diamonds served as rocks on the ground. The water reflected off of the jewels, casting waves of light across the room. Annabeth gasped.

_There you are, my dear. _

Annabeth jumped. A woman in earthen clothes stood before her, a dark veil covering her face. Annabeth heard the faint sound of snoring, and knew who she was facing. "Gaea, what am I doing here?"

_I see you have defeated my minion, Mormo._

"He was too easy," Annabeth said, crossing her arms. "You're going to have to step up your game if you want to defeat us."

_I have my plans, Annabeth. I was simply testing you, seeing how far your skills go. And I have seen that Mormo was too small a challenge for you. _

"You just realized that?" Annabeth said. "I'm impressed."

_Surrender._

"No!" Annabeth cried, exasperated. "Seriously, don't you ever give up?"

_You don't understand how powerful your gift is. It could be very useful to me._

"What gift? What's so special about me?" Annabeth asked.

_You really don't see it? Tsk, tsk. I expect more from you, Annabeth._

"I really don't know what you're talking about," Annabeth argued. "I don't have a gift."

_Yes, you do. Don't you remember the conversation with your mother, the mighty Athena?_

Annabeth thought back to her dream. She faintly remembered something her mom said about a task, reading the marks. "She never mentioned anything about a gift."

_Don't you see? She said that only the wisest of her children can see the marks. That's part of your gift. And the prophecy: _She wears the blessing of her mother._ What do you think that means?_

"I don't know," Annabeth said quietly.

_But you will. And your gift, it could be used to help me. So I ask you one more time: surrender._

"No," Annabeth said firmly.

_Think about it. Because, if you don't, destruction will come upon not only you, but also your friends and family. _

Gaea gestured to the pond. Annabeth looked at her confused, then looked down into the water. An image floated on the surface. It showed Annabeth's family, her dad, her stepmom, little Bobby and Matthew, all hanging above a bonfire. They were screaming, loud, pain-filled screams. Annabeth grimaced as the image zeroed in on Bobby's face. He was crying and screaming as loud as he could. But it wasn't his face that made Annabeth want to scream herself. It was what he was screaming.

"Annie! Annie, how could you do this to us! I thought you loved me!"

Annabeth's family disappeared and was quickly replaced by her friends. Piper, Jason, Hazel, Frank, Leo, Grover, Clarisse, Juniper, Thalia. They all hung above the fire, screaming the same thing Bobby had. Annabeth took a step back, trying to get away from the image.

The scene changed again, and showed Mount Olympus in ruins. Annabeth's buildings that she had designed, her sculptures, her gardens, all up in flames. Nymphs, satyrs, Olympians all ran around screaming. _This isn't my doing,_ Annabeth told herself. _I'm not that powerful._

The scene changed yet again. This one was by far the worst in Annabeth's opinion. Percy sat curled up in the corner of a cell. His shirt had been ripped to shreds and his back had bruises, scars, and freshly cut gashes all over it. It basicly looked like a slab of meat. Annabeth wanted to reach out, to help him, cradle his head in her arms. But she couldn't.

"Annabeth," he called. "Help me."

Annabeth fell back.

"Annabeth, please," he asked. Percy's face appeared out of the darkness, and Annabeth screamed. His face had bruises and cuts and one long gash running across his face. His eyes were full of so much pain, Annabeth wanted to run to him and comfort him. Instead, she closed her eyes and covered her face and screamed some more.

"Annabeth."

"Stop, Percy!" she screamed. "Stop!"

"Annabeth."

She collapsed on the ground, still screaming, waiting for this to end.

(*********)

"Annabeth," a voice said gently. "Annabeth, wake up."

Annabeth slowly opened her eyes and uncovered her face. She took in her surroundings. She was lying on her bed in her room, still in her sweats and Percy's Camp Half-Blood shirt that she had changed into after dinner. Her laptop sat at the end of her bed, still running. Her sheets were wrinkled and her pillows were on the floor. Annabeth was curled up in a ball against the wall. Percy sat on the edge of her bed.

"Are you okay?" he asked. His eyebrows were scrunched up in concern.

"What happened?" she asked, sitting up. She glanced at the clock next to her bed. It read 3:12. "Why are you in here?"

"I heard you screaming and came in here to see what was wrong. I found you curled up in a ball, whimpering."

Annabeth yawned and Percy scooted over to the wall next to her. "Nightmare?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Gaea?"

"Yup." Annabeth looked at Percy, and remembered how he looked in her dream. A lone tear ran down her face. She drew in a shaky breath.

Percy looked at her. "Come on," he said, picking her up. "You need some fresh air." Percy carried Annabeth out of her room and onto the deck. Annabeth shivered as the icy wind hit her body. Percy's arms tightened around her as if he felt Annabeth's shiver. Annabeth smiled slightly. She loved it whenever Percy held her like this.

Percy sat down on the deck chair. It was one of those chairs that people had at pools, one that was full body length so that you could lay out on it. Percy layed out on one and set Annabeth on his lap. He grabbed one of the blankets they kept out there and draped it over her. She burrowed deeper into his chest. She heard the sound of his heart beating and felt the warmth of his arm, which was wrapped around her body. They sat there, Annabeth trembling, and Percy holding her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.

Annabeth gazed up at the stars. They twinkled in the dark sky, illuminating the deck. "Gaea was talking to me, telling me to surrender, as usual. But then she started talking about some gift I have and how I could be very useful to her."

"What gift?" Percy asked.

"That's the thing," Annabeth said. "I dont know what gift she's talking about. And it gets worse. She showed me a scene of what would happen if I didn't surrender. First, it showed my family. They were all hanging above a fire. Bobby was screaming at me, asking why I did that to them. Then it showed my friends. They were screaming the same thing."

"Was I there?" Percy asked.

"No. Then it showed Olympus in ruins. All of my work completely obliterated. It was so horrible. Then-" Annabeth paused, looking cautiously at Percy. "Then it showed you, Percy. You were in a cell, your back just a slab of meat, pretty much. You were calling my name. Then I saw your face and I broke down. It was all beat up, with bruises and cuts. And a long, bloody gash. That's when I probably started screaming. You woke me up after that."

Percy nodded. "You know none of that's going to happen, right Annabeth?"

"Yeah," she said. "But it was still awful to see."

"I know," Percy said. He wrapped his other arm around Annabeth. "Annabeth, Gaea can take away your family, your friends, your home, your job. She can even take away your life. But there's one thing she can't take away."

"And what's that?" Annabeth asked skeptically. "Because I'm pretty sure she can take that away also."

"My love for you," Percy said.**(Wow, that was extremely cheesy.)**

"Yeah, right," Annabeth said bitterly. "I'm sure that once I ruin your life like Gaea says I am, you'll hate me. Just wait."

"Come on, Annabeth," Percy pleaded. "You know that's not going to happen. Can you just take the compliment?"

"Fine," Annabeth said, rolling her eyes. "Thanks, Perce." She leaned up to give Percy a peck on the cheek, but Percy pulled her closer and smashed his lips against hers. Annabeth was surprised at first, but she kissed him back. She felt the familiar warmth in the pit of her stomach and judging from Percy seeming to want more, he felt it too.

Annabeth pulled away slightly to catch her breath. Percy was grinning. "I got you to kiss me," he said proudly.

"Uh, you forced me to kiss you," Annabeth corrected. "There's a difference."

"Whatever." Annabeth smiled and kissed him again.

"That one you did on your own," Percy said when Annabeth pulled away.

"I was feeling generous," Annabeth replied nonchalantly. She yawned.

"As much as I would love to stay up here and kiss you again, you need sleep," Percy said. Annabeth groaned.

"Can we just stay up here?" she asked. "It's nice out here."

"Are you sure it's not because you want to stay with me?" Percy asked pointedly.

"Maybe," Annabeth said. "And I won't have any nightmares if you're with me."

"How do you know that?"

"I just know."

Percy acted like he was thinking it over. "Okay," he said, a little too excitedly. "We can stay out here."

"You sound a little excited there, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth teased.

"Maybe I am," he said. "Oh, and where'd you get my camp shirt?"

Annabeth laughed and snuggled up against Percy. She stared up at the night sky and and listened to the beating of Percy's heart. It seemed to jump through his shirt. "I love you, Seaweed Brain," she whispered.

"I love you too."

"And thanks. For, you know, always being there for me."

Annabeth knew Percy was smiling. "Your welcome, Wise Girl. Now go to sleep. You need more than any of us."

Annabeth smiled and drifted off, knowing full-well that she'd finally get some good, needed sleep as long as Percy was right there with her.

**Well, I thought that would turn out better, but whatever. **

**Go check out my new story, Intertwined! I really like this one! And just so you know, I probably won't update Percabeth Moments as often anymore. I'm trying to focus on this story and Intertwined. Just so you know.**

**Peace out, chicos and chicas!**

**"The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart, his mouth speaks." Luke 6:45**

**(If you read these verses, put 'Jesus died for me!' in a review!)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Wow, thanks for all of the reviews. I'm glad you liked the last chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Last time I checked, Rick Riordan owns the rights to PJO. **

Chapter 14-Annabeth

"Annabeth," someone said, interrupting Annabeth from her sleep. Annabeth groaned, and nestled closer to Percy. She could hear the soft, rhythmic sound of him breathing, and she sighed.

"Percy." Now, it was Percy's turn to groan. He shifted closer to Annabeth.

"ANNABETH! PERCY! WAKE UP!"

Annabeth's eyes flew open, and she covered her ears. Percy was still dead asleep next to her. She looked around and spotted Leo and Jason standing above her, amused looks on their faces. Annabeth glared at them and buried her face in Percy's chest, planning on falling back asleep. Then, she realized _why_ Leo and Jason had amused looks on their faces.

Annabeth lifted her head out of Percy's chest. She looked at her's and Percy's positions. Percy was laying on his side in the chair, and Annabeth was right next to him. He had his arms wrapped around Annabeth, holding her next to him. Percy's face had been buried in Annabeth's hair. She then looked at their intruders. Jason's face was red(Which Annabeth found funny, because Jason wasn't the one caught asleep with his girlfriend in a chair.) and he was trying not to laugh. Leo, on the other hand, was cracking up, clutching his stomach tighter with every guffaw. He held a megaphone in his hand. He probably used it to wake the couple up. His face was red also, but not from embarrassment like Jason, but from laughing so hard. "W-we g-got you," he choked out, laughing.

Annabeth glared at him and sat up. Percy muttered something in his sleep about how he could beat Ryan Lochte in a race with his eyes closed, and rolled over. Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Why are you laughing?" she said sharply, trying to cover up her embarrassment. "We couldn't sleep, so we came out here. We then fell asleep. What's wrong with that?"

"Yeah. You two couldn't sleep, so you just decided to come out here. And then you just happened to fall asleep. Yeah, that's what happened," Leo said, rolling his eyes at Jason. Jason smiled back and nodded. "I'm not even going to mention the position you two were in," Leo continued. "Oh, and nice shirt." Annabeth looked down at her shirt. She was still wearing Percy's oversized camp shirt, which was wrinkled and twisted.

Annabeth rolled her eyes and elbowed Percy in the ribs. "Wake up, Seaweed Brain," she said. "We've got company."

Percy opened his eyes drowsily. "Morning, Wise Girl," he said, not noticing Leo or Jason. "How'd you sleep? I slept great." He sat up and kissed her on the head.

"Hey, Perce," Jason said, waving cheerily at Percy. Percy looked at him, just noticing that him and Leo were standing there. His face turned red with anger and embarrassment. Then he broke out in a grin. "Hey, Jason. Hey, Leo. What's up?"

"Nothing much," Jason said. "Fighting monsters, nightmares, spying on a couple who are asleep on a chair on the deck. The usual." Leo laughed and high-fived Jason.

Percy draped his arm over Annabeth's shoulders. "Well, we're awake now, and ready to whip some monster _podex_. So you can go now. Thanks for waking us up."

"Well, Jason and I'll be heading back now. You two kids be good to each other, all right?" Leo winked and walked away, pulling Jason with him.

"That," Annabeth said, watching Jason and Leo go, "was so embarrassing."

"So," Percy said, like nothing happened, "did you sleep well?"

Annabeth shrugged.

"Nightmares?" Percy asked.

"Nope."

"It was all me," Percy said cockily. "If you're with me, you don't have any nightmares. You're welcome, Wise Girl."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Thank you, Seaweed Brain." She started to get up, but Percy pulled her back down.

"Where are you going, Anniebeth?" Percy whispered in her ear.

Annabeth looked at him. "I'm going to my room to get ready. Would you rather stay lying down on this chair all day, or go get ready and do something useful?"

Percy grinned. "I'd rather stay here on the deck with you." He pulled her in for a kiss, but Annabeth playfully slapped him.

"Just because I let you kiss me last night doesn't mean that you can kiss me today," she said accusingly. Percy pouted. Annabeth wouldn't admit it if Gaea herself was pointing a sword at her chest, but Percy was so adorable when he pouted.

She hopped up. "I'm going to go get ready. I'd suggest you get ready also, Perce. You kind of stink."

"Hey!" Percy said. He got up and engulfed Annabeth in a hug. He lifted her up and swung her around. "I don't stink!"

"Think again, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said after Percy set her down. She smirked at him, and walked off towards her room, feeling Percy's eyes on her with every step that she took.

Annabeth ran into Piper and Hazel in the hallway that lead to her room. They were both dressed, Piper in skinny jean capris and a brown tank top. Her hair was down and curled. Her knife was strapped to her belt. She looked stunning. Hazel wore jean shorts, her purple Camp Jupiter shirt, and gray Converse. Her curly hair was in a messy braid that curled over her right shoulder, and like Piper, she had her sword strapped to her belt.

"Hey, guys," Annabeth said. "Piper, did you curl your hair today?"

"No," Piper said. "It's naturally curled. It's just always up, so no one notices."

"I heard that Jason and Leo caught you and Percy out on the deck," Hazel said. "What happened?"

"Nothing," Annabeth said. She opened the door to her room, and the three girls all went inside. "We were just talking, and the next thing you know, we're asleep."

"Uh huh," Piper said doubtfully. She plopped down on Annabeth's bed, and rested her head in the palms of her hands. Hazel was sitting on the chair by her desk, which was covered with papers and designs. "We all know that's not what happened. So spill."

Annabeth smiled. This must be what it's like to talk about guys with a best friend. Being a demigod and having her best friend be a guy and your crush, Annabeth never got to experience that. As she glanced from Piper to Hazel, she couldn't think of anyone else who she'd rather be having this conversation with. "Okay. So I had an awful dream from Gaea and Percy brought me out to the deck. He was going to take me back to my bed, but I asked him if we could just sleep out there. He agreed a bit too excitedly."

"Go figure," Hazel muttered. Annabeth laughed and grabbed her camp shirt and shorts from her drawers. She walked into her bathroom and got a glimpse of herself in the mirror. _Ugh_, was her initial thought. Her face was blotchy from all the crying she did last night. Her clothes were wrinkled and twisted and her hair was a rats-nest, one side tangled, probably from where Percy had buried his face in. Annabeth sighed and quickly changed. She grabbed her brush and ran it through her curly hair, brushing out all of the tangles. She threw it up in a ponytail and walked out of the bathroom. Hazel and Piper were now both sitting on her bed, going through some book. They kept laughing and ahhhing at things in it. As Annabeth approached them, she realized that it wasn't a book they were looking at. It was a photo album, full of pictures of her and Percy.

"Hey," she said. "Where'd you guys get that?"

"It was sitting on your dresser," Hazel said, not taking her eyes off of the album. "Hey, check out this one." She nudged Piper and they laughed.

"Ugh, give me it," Annabeth snapped, grabbing the book out of the younger girls hands. She looked at the picture they were laughing at. It showed her and Percy on their first official date. Percy's arm was wrapped around Annabeth, and Annabeth was smiling as she shoved an ice cream cone in his face. Annabeth smiled at the memory. Percy had taken her to a movie, then to go get ice cream. When Percy had said that she had gotten scared in the movie, Annabeth happily shoved the cone in his face, saying that she hadn't. That was the last time Percy ever said Annabeth had gotten scared in a movie.

Just then, someone knocked on Annabeth's door. "It's probably Percy," Annabeth said to Hazel and Piper. She walked to the door and opened it up. "Hey, Perc-" Annabeth abruptly stopped and took a step back. Standing in front of her, was a beautiful lady. With a bloody knife in her hand.

(*********)

"Hello, Annabeth," the woman said menacingly. Her green eyes glowered. Her forked tongue flickered, and - wait. Forked tongue?

Annabeth tore her eyes away from the woman's face, and she glanced down at her legs. Yep, just as Annabeth thought. Instead of the legs of a human, she had the legs of a dragon. "Dracaena," she whispered to herself. "What do you want?"

"Oh, nothing much," the monster said. "I jusssst want to kill you."

"Sorry," Annabeth replied. "But you're out of luck." The dracaenae growled and lunged at her. Annabeth ducked and rolled over. She ran over to her bed, where Hazel and Piper sat, staring at the dracaenae. "Guys!" she yelled, grabbing her knife. "Help me!" Piper nodded and drew her dagger, Katoptris, from her belt, and Hazel unsheathed her sword. They all started towards the monster.

"So, did Gaea send you to kill me?" Annabeth asked. The dracaenae thrust her knife at Annabeth's stomach, but she easily deflected.

"Yessss," the monster said. "She ssssaid that if I ssssucccced, I will be sssshowered with amazzzing blessingssss."

Annabeth saw Piper sneaking up behind the monster. _Distract it,_ she mouthed to Hazel and Annabeth. "Really?" Hazel said to the dracaenae. "Like what?"

"Sssso many thingssss," she replied. "Richessss, a high sssspot in her army. And sssso much more. But we don't have the time to discussss it. I have to kill you." The dracaenae lunged again at Annabeth, but she sidestepped and thrust her knife at the monster. It didn't deliver a fatal blow, but it did knick her side. The monster roared in anger and ran at Annabeth. Annabeth jumped out of the way. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Hazel and Piper silently making their way towards the monster. Annabeth started towards the dracaenae and stabbed at her stomach. She sidestepped, knocking over a lamp in the process. It shattered on the floor, causing a loud noise. Annabeth figured that was good, because then the boys would hear it and come help. Annabeth stabbed again, and this time the dracaenae deflected with her knife. She pushed Annabeth's knife away, and Annabeth tripped backwards, knocking over a table. She slammed her knife on the monster's knife's hilt. The dracaenae's knife fell and clattered against the floor. Annabeth kicked it away before the monster could pick it up. She pressed the point of her knife into the dracaenae's chest.

"Too bad you'll never get you reward," Annabeth snarled.

"You're wrong, girl," the monster growled. "Thissss fight isssn't over." Her fingers grew into talons and she raked Annabeth's cheek. Annabeth dropped her knife and fell, clutching her cheek.

"Annabeth!" Piper cried. Annabeth heard Hazel calling the boys for help. She grabbed at her cheek. The talons must've had poison on them, because her cheek was burning like crazy. She could feel four claw marks on her right cheek. She also felt warm ooze.

The dracaenae stood over Annabeth, a menacing smile plastered on her face. Annabeth's knife was in her hand. _Great,_ she thought. _I'm going to die by my own knife._ "Goodbye, Annabeth Chassse," the monster snarled. "Be thankful that I'm killing you now. Much worssse would come if you were to ssssurvive." She raised the knife, ready to plunge it into Annabeth's stomach. Annabeth gave her her best glare.

Then, the monster was engulfed in flames. Her scream pierced the air. "You - you can't win thissss!" she shrieked. "Gaea'sss all ready won! And it'ssss all her fault!" The dracaenae pointed accusingly at Annabeth before she dissipated into a shimmering dust. Frank stood behind where the monster used to be, his sword raised. He coughed. "Man, I really hate it when monsters do that," he complained.

"Dude, that was awesome!" Leo said. He was standing a couple feet away from Frank. "Did you see her face when I hit her with the fire? She was all like, 'Woah. I'm on fire!'"

Annabeth moaned. "Injured girl over here. Can we stop talking about the monster's face, and focus on getting this poison out?"

"Annabeth!" Percy came over and knelt next to Annabeth on the ground. His face was full of concern. "What happened? We heard the vase break, and then Hazel called for help, and - oh, Zeus. Your cheek. Are you all right?" Percy lifted up Annabeth's head and set it in his lap.

"I'm fine, Perce," Annabeth reassured her boyfriend. "It just burns a bit. There's some nectar in my backpack. It's sitting by my desk. Can you get it for me?"

Percy nodded and turned to Jason, who was talking to Piper. "Hey, Jason. Can you grab Annabeth's backpack? It's sitting by her desk."

"Sure," Jason said. He grabbed the black backpack that was siting in Annabeth's desk chair and tossed it over to Percy. He caught it and unzipped it. He shoveled through the things in it, food, weapons, an extra shirt, first-aid supplies. He made a face and lifted out a Sudoku book out of the bag. "Really, Wise Girl?" he said, smiling slightly. "When are you ever going to have time to do this?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Just grab the nectar, Seaweed Brain. My cheek is killing me." Percy's face scrunched back up in concern and he put the book back in the bag and grabbed a bottle of nectar. He twisted off the cap and poured some on Annabeth's cheek. Annabeth grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly. "Ow," she said. But she could feel the claw marks closing up and the poison fading. She released her tight grip on Percy's hand and sighed. "Much better."

"Oh my pepperoni, Annabeth, don't ever scare me like that again!" Percy scolded. He lifted her up and hugged her tightly. "I thought you were going to die."

Annabeth pulled away and rolled her eyes. "Calm down, Percy. I'm fine. You don't need to worry anymore."

"I can't let you go anywhere without me with you now, Wise Girl!" Percy continued. "Everytime I'm not with you, you have a nightmare, or you're attacked. What am I going to do with you?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes and sat up. She looked at Piper and Hazel. "Are you two okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, we're fine," Hazel said.

"The question is, are _you_ okay?" Piper asked.

Annabeth nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay. Just got a little bruised."

"Yeah, claws raking your cheek, and poison entering your body, is getting a little bruised," Percy muttered bitterly. Annabeth playfully hit him on the shoulder.

"You guys can go now," she told everyone. "I'm just going to clean up in here." Everyone nodded and filed out, going in separate directions. Only Percy and Annabeth were left.

Annabeth looked around her room. The lamp that had broken during the fight was in shards on the floor next to her desk, where it used to stand. Her small table that sat next to her bed was toppled over, the books that sat on top of it on the floor. Her bed was messed up and her backpack sat on the floor, it's contents spilling out of it. She sighed and picked up the table and setting the books on top of it. Percy was picking up stuff and putting it back in her backpack. They cleaned up the room, not saying a word to each other.

After they finished cleaning, Annabeth flopped on her bed and Percy sat in her desk chair. "So," Percy said, "are you sure you're all right?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Percy, I'm fine. You don't need to keep asking me."

"I know. I'm just worried, I guess." Percy looked down at his hands, avoiding Annabeth's gaze.

Annabeth didn't know what to say. She knew exactly what Percy was worried about: all of the warnings they've received from monsters, Luke, gods. She was worried about it also. But she also didn't want to talk about it. Annabeth scooted over and patted the spot next to her on the bed, gesturing for Percy to join her. Percy got up and sat on the bed, wrapping an arm around her. Annabeth moved over and snuggled up to his side. She loved it when they sat like this. She always felt so protected and safe, with Percy stroking her hair gently and hearing the sound of his heartbeat, soft and rhythmic.

"You really scared me today," Percy said softly. "I heard the lamp shatter and didn't know what was going on. Then, when Hazel called for help, saying that you were hurt, I flashed back to when you took that knife for me. I didn't want the same thing to happen, because I wouldn't have been able to save you. When I ran in here and saw you on the ground, my heart literally stopped."

"I'm fine now," Annabeth said. "Just like I was fine back in the Titan War. There's nothing to worry about."

"I don't want to lose you again, Annabeth," Percy said, his voice on the edge of a hysteria. "You mean the world to me, and I just - I just can't lose you again."

"Percy," Annabeth said firmly. She shifted her body to where she was facing him. "You didn't lose me before. We were just separated for a while. We were reunited, remember? And you're not going to lose me again. I'm staying next to you until the day I die."

Percy smiled. He leaned in hesitantly, waiting for her permission. Annabeth decided that after his scare, he deserved a kiss or two. Besides, she kind of wanted one. She tangled her fingers in Percy's hair, and he grinned and gripped her head, pulling her to him. Annabeth could feel his fingers entangled in her hair. She smiled and closed the gap between them.

When Annabeth finally came up for air, she smiled and leaned against Percy's chest. She was in his lap now. Who knows how she got there. Percy hands snaked around her waist and he held her. "You let me kiss you," he snickered.

"Yeah, I did," Annabeth said. "But don't think that you're getting another one."

"Awww, come on, Wis-"

"Nope. So don't even try." Annabeth smirked at Percy pout.

"So, how can I get another kiss from you?" Percy asked hopefully.

Annabeth thought for a moment. "Hm. Maybe you could, I dunno, not do anything stupid for the rest of the quest? Never mind. We all know that's impossible."

"Hey, I-" Percy protested. Then he stopped. "Yeah. That's impossible. Anything else?"

Annabeth smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Just don't die, Seaweed Brain. That's the most I can ask of you."

Percy nodded happily. "I can do that!"

Annabeth laughed. "I don't know, Seaweed Brain. You do have a tendancy to get into trouble."

Percy snorted. "Oh, and you don't?"

Annabeth pulled away from Percy's chest and looked him into the eye. "Excuse me? I have a tendancy to get into trouble?"

"Uh, did I say that?" Percy asked. He pulled Annabeth back to him. "You know I didn't mean it, Wise Girl. I say stupid things sometimes."

"I've noticed," Annabeth said, rolling her eyes. The couple talked for a while longer, oblivious to the time that was passing by. By the time Annabeth looked at the clock, it was a little past noon. "Come on," she said, hopping up out of Percy's lap. "We're late for lunch." Percy hopped up and intertwined their fingers. They walked out of the room, heading towards the kitchen.

When they got there, they both immediately stopped. Leo had the biggest hammer Annabeth had ever seen in his hand. Frank had an arrow notched in his bow. And they were facing each other angrily.

**Wow. That took me a really long time to write. Sorry it wasn't my best. This has just been stressing me out, because I'm, like, halfway through this story and the MoA comes out in like two months(YES!). So I have to hurry up and finish this. And my writer's block isn't helping. **

**And I'm sorry for not updating my Intertwined story in, like, FOREVER. Again, writer's block, and I've been working on this. But I'll update soon.**

**And by the way, school just started today. And I'm a teacher's kid. So it will be a while inbetween each update(but that's nothing new). **

**Bye!**

**"I will not forget you! See, I have engrved you on the palm of My hand." Isaiah 49:15-16**

**I don't know if I've all ready done that one or not. Oh well. Deal with it. **


	15. Chapter 15

**Thanks for the reviews! They meant a lot! **

**So I've realized that the MoA is coming out really soon, and I'm only halfway through this. So, due to this, my other two stories, Intertwined and Percabeth Moments, are on temporary hiatus. Sorry! But I've GOT to finish this.**

**SPOILERS! So for anyone who's read the Demigod Diaries, who's excited that Piper and Jason are together? I'm not a big fan of Jason, but I love Piper and I'm so happy that they're dating! And Percy and Annabeth's date? Oh my word, I don't even know where to begin, it was so cute! I screamed like a fangirl when I read the last sentence. He called her beautiful! I scream about stuff like that. :D**

**Disclaimer: How many times do we have to do this? I'm not Rick Riordan!**

Chapter 16 - Percy

"Hey!" Percy yelled at Leo and Frank. "Hey! What's going on?"

"Frank called me stupid!" Leo accused. His grip on the hammer tightened. Percy sighed. Really? They were fighting about this?

"No, I didn't!" Frank argued. "I simply said that your idea of running into war with no plan but to kill every monster that comes your way probably isn't the smartest stragety. There's a difference."

Leo snorted. "It's the same, Baby Face. You're calling me stupid!" Leo raised his hammer and went in for an attack. Frank pulled the string of his bow back and pointed the tip of the arrow at Leo.

"Whoa!" Annabeth said. She let go of Percy's hand and jumped inbetween the two, much to Percy's disapproval. He didn't really want his girlfriend to jump in the middle of a fight. "Stop fighting! We're supposed to be working together, not fighting each other."

"But he called me stupid!" Leo whined. He still had his hammer raised.

"No, I didn't!" Frank yelled. He pushed Annabeth out of the way, raised his bow again, and ran towards Leo.

"No!" Hazel shouted. She ran over from where her, Piper, and Jason were sitting by the island, and ran over to Frank. She wrapped her arms around his waist and tried to pull him away from Leo. She was incredibly strong for a thirteen-year-old girl. "Frank! Calm down! This is nothing to fight over!"

"Oh, is your girlfriend gonna stop you?" Leo taunted. Percy noticed that there was a hint of jealousy ad hurt in his voice. "She probably knows that I'm gonna whoop your _podex_, so she's stopping you from complete humiliation."

Frank's face turned red. "Oh, you're so dead, Valdez. You're so dead." He was about to charge again, but Piper said, "Boys! You heard Annabeth! Stop fighting. Drop your weapons and apologize."

Piper's voice was rich and full of charmspeak. Percy tried extremely hard not to pull out Riptide and drop it on the ground. Jason didn't try hard enough. He pulled out his gold coin and dropped it on the ground. Leo and Frank weren't too happy about it. They both dropped their weapons hesitantly, but they had confused looks on their faces, like they weren't sure why they were.

"Sorry," Frank told Leo quietly, his voice dreamy.

"Yeah," Leo muttered. "Sorry."

"There you go," Piper said approvingly. "See, nothing to fight about." The boys just looked at each other. Percy still sensed some tension between them. Piper must've sensed it also, because she said, "Leo, why don't you come with me and Jason?" Leo nodded and followed Piper and Jason out the door.

"Frank, do want to go talk out on the deck?" Percy asked.

Frank shrugged. "Sure." He walked out the door, still angry. Percy glanced at Annabeth before her left, remembering their earlier conversation about Percy not being able to leave her. Annabeth rolled her eyes. _I'll be fine,_ she mouthed. Percy grinned at her and left to go find Frank.

(*********)

Percy walked onto the deck, immediately met with the scent of the salty sea and the satisfaction and confidence of knowing he was in his dad's realm. The wind blew threw Percy's hair, feeling like Annabeth just ran her fingers through it. The ocean in front of him was surprisingly calm today. _Dad must be in a good mood,_ Percy thought. He pulled his jacket tighter around him.

Frank sat on one of the chairs that was facing the ocean. His face was stern, unlike the nice, happy look that was always on his face. His Mars side must be showing. Percy walked over and sat on the edge of the chair he and Annabeth slept on the night before. Percy smiled at the memory of Annabeth's body pressed against his, the way she curled up against his chest. "What's up?" he asked Frank, taking his mind off Annabeth.

"I feel so bad," Frank said. He looked out at the ocean. "I didn't mean to offend Leo like that. I wasn't calling him stupid, I just didn't think his idea was the best. What do you think?"

Percy shrugged. "To be honest, I think Leo's idea was, well, _Leo_. It's just in his nature to give out an idea like that. And when he claimed you were calling him stupid, that's also in his nature. But I also think that you could've reacted differently. So technically, you're both at fault. No offense."

"None taken." Frank scrunched his eyebrows together in the same way Percy does whenever he gets worried. He tore his gaze away from the water and at Percy and said, "Do you think that this fight was more than about me calling him stupid?"

Percy nodded. He had thought that too; that maybe something else was bothering Leo and he was taking it out on Frank. "Yeah. The way his tone was bitter and hurt when he asked if your girlfriend was going to protect you. What was that about?"

"Remember when Hazel told us about Sammy? From her old life?" Frank looked at Percy expectantly. Like Percy was supposed to have remembered this.

"Uh, no."

"Well, she told us when we got the video letter thingie that Leo looked exactly like Sammy Valdez. The guy she liked in her old life." Frank's tone turned hard as he said the last part. Percy thought back to when they got the letter, right before the Argo ll landed. Their conversation was a bit fuzzy. All Percy remembered was being excited to see Annabeth again.

"They have the same last name," Percy noticed. "Valdez. Wait, do you think that's why Leo's so bitter about your's and Hazel's relationship?"

Frank nodded, his face grim. "Yeah. But I don't think it's because he's sad because Hazel died before Sammy could marry her or even ask her out. I think Leo _is_ Sammy."

Percy stared at Frank blankly. What did he mean? Leo is Sammy? How was that even possible? Then again, Percy had learned over the years of being a demigod, that anything is possible with the gods. So Leo could be Sammy. Talk about a boyfriend crisis.

"That could be true," Percy said. "Confusing, but true."

"I still feel bad," Frank said. "Leo's been through a lot, according to Jason. He thinks he's the reason his mom died. And now with the whole Sammy/Leo thing. I feel bad that I got all in his face."

"Don't feel bad, Frank," Percy said. "It's not your fault."

"But I still yelled at him," Frank continued.

Percy was about to reply when they heard a scream from downstairs. Annabeth's scream. Percy jumped up off of the chair and uncapped Riptide. He glanced at Frank and a look of understanding passed between them. The girls were in trouble. They both sprinted towards the kitchen.

When Percy opened the door to see what was wrong, he wanted to bust out laughing. Annabeth was cowering on the counter, her eyes wide with fear. Hazel was standing next to her, trying not to laugh. When Percy looked around the room, no one else was in there. "What's wrong?" Percy asked. When no one answered, he said, "Uh, Annabeth?"

"Sp-sp-spider," she stammered. She lifted up a shaky finger and pointed to the other side of the room.

Percy rolled his eyes and walked over to where she was pointing, Frank following closely behind. A small black spider was on the wall, slowly moving upwards. Frank chuckled and mouthed, _wow. _Percy grinned and nodded.

Just as he was about to step on the spider, Percy got an idea. He smiled slyly at Frank and said loudly, "Oh my gods, Annabeth. This spider is huge!"

"Don't you think I know that, Percy!" she yelled at him.

"No, I mean, so big, I might not even be able to kill it," Percy continued. When he looked over, Frank was concentrating on trying not to burst out laughing.

"Just kill it, Seaweed Brain, or I'll kill you!"

"Geez, Wise Girl," Percy muttered. He bent down, as if he were going to kill it. The spider was hanging on a web, it's spindly legs clawing at the air. Percy smashed it inbetween his hands. "Oh, oh, oh," Percy said dramatically. "Annabeth, I-I think it bit me. Room getting darker..." Percy collapsed on the ground, thinking, _don't laugh, don't laugh._

"Percy!" Annabeth jumped off of the counter and ran over to his side. She took his hands, and examined them for bites. "I don't see any bites. But if there aren't any bites, then how come he..." Annabeth stopped talking when Percy started laughing.

"I-I got y-you," Percy laughed. Frank was now guffawing along with Percy and Hazel was smiling slightly. "You were so scared, Wise Girl," Percy said after he stopped laughing.

Annabeth hit his shoulder lightly. "Don't ever do that again, Seaweed Brain. It wasn't funny."

"Yeah, it was," Frank said, still laughing.

Annabeth gave him a glare that shut him right up. "No, it wasn't. And if you ever do that again, Percy, you won't have a girlfriend." Annabeth directed her glare on him now.

"Hey, I was just trying to have some fun," Percy protested. He sat up and wrapped his arms around Annabeth. "Come on, Annabeth. Have some fun."

"Get your hands off of me, Percy," she said, crawling out of his lap. "I'm still mad at you."

"Okay," Percy said, taking a deep breath. He said in a posh voice, "I'm terribly sorry, Annabeth Chase. How can you ever forgive me?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "You're hopeless, Percy." She hopped up and stalked off.

Percy blinked and watched her go. "Woah, man," Frank said. "She is mad."

"I was just trying to have some fun," Percy said helplessly.

"Well, obviously, it wasn't very fun to her," Frank said, chuckling.

Percy looked at Hazel, who was standing at the counter, watching everything. "Haze, what do I do?"

"Well, most times, when girls run off like that, they want you to chase after them," Hazel said. She laughed at Percy's pained look. "_Most_ girls. I don't know Annabeth well enough to know if that applies to her."

"Oh, it does," Percy confirmed. "I just don't get why girls can't just forgive and move on."

"We want to know that you guys care about us enough to chase after us when we argue," Hazel continued. "So are we gonna sit here and have a lesson on what girls mean when they do something, or are you gonna chase after Annabeth before she decides to dump you?"

Percy winked. "See ya later." He ran out the door and after Annabeth.

(*********)

Percy found Annabeth on the deck, reading a book. _Of course,_ he thought. She was sitting in the same chair that they slept in last night. Percy stopped walking and just studied her. She was beautiful. Her blonde hair was tied back in it's usual sloppy ponytail. Some strands had fallen out and were being whipped around by the wind. Her gray eyes were moving back and forth quickly and her lips were moving slightly with every word that she read. Percy smiled to himself. He was so lucky.

"Hey," he said, sitting on the chair next to her.

"Hey," she said, not taking her eyes off of the book.

Percy sighed. "Look, I really am sorry. I didn't mean to freak you out like that."

"I forgive you." Still didn't take her eyes off of the book. Percy mentally groaned. So first he has to chase after her. Then she decides to make this harder than it needs to be by reading a book and pretty much ignoring him. _So she wants to be that way? _Percy thought. _So be it._

Percy grabbed the book out of her hand and threw it behind him. "Hey!" Annabeth yelled at him. She reached for it, but Percy held her back.

"Sit," he commanded. Annabeth looked at him surprised, but did as Percy told her. "I made a mistake, Annabeth. I took your fear and used it against you. It was wrong and I shouldn't have done it. So I chased after you to apologize, and what do you do? You ignore me. So I'm asking you again: will you please forgive me? I don't like it when you're mad at me."

Annabeth stared at him. Percy shifted uncomfortably in his chair. Maybe he had gone too far, grabbing her book and all. Even the curse of Achilles wouldn't save him from his girlfriend's wrath. Then she smiled at him. "I forgive you, Seaweed Brain. Thanks for apologizing." She hopped up off of her chair and sat next to Percy. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she leaned into him.

"You're awesome," Percy said.

"I know," Annabeth replied cockily**(Demigod Diaries!)**.

Percy contemplated whether to tell Annabeth about his idea to stay at Camp Jupiter permanently, retire, and raise a family. Now would be the time to do it. But it was practically like asking her to marry him, and Percy wasn't sure if they were that far into their relationship where that would be okay. Plus, he wasn't sure whether Annabeth would be okay about leaving Camp Half-Blood. Instead, he said, "So we've never really talked about what's happened at camp since I've been gone. All we've talked about is dreams, and the horrors that await us in Rome. So, what's happened? How's Olympus going?"

Annabeth blushed. "To be honest, I haven't been working on it at all ever since you left. They finished building what I had planned, but I haven't planned anything else. I've been to busy looking for you." Annabeth bumped Percy with her shoulder when she said that.

"Awww, now I feel special," Percy said, smiling. "So what's up with your family?"

Annabeth sighed. "They're all right, I guess. I haven't talked to them much. My dad's been busy with work and my stepmom, I guess, doesn't care enough to talk to me. I've only ever really talked to Bobby and Matthew. And that's just over the phone."

"Oh," Percy said stupidly. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Annabeth said. Her tone turned bitter. "I'm used to it."

Percy hated how Annabeth's parents treated her. Every demigod has problems with their parents, but Annabeth's acted like she was a burden that could only be dealt with when they have time. Annabeth was much more than that to him. And the fact that she was used to it seemed to bother Percy. Nobody, no demigod, no mortal, nobody should be used to being treated that way.

_Woah, boy,_ Percy thought. _Don't go into a head-on rant about the way Annabeth's parents treat her._

"How's school?" Percy asked to get his mind off of Annabeth's home life.

Annabeth sighed. "Good greif, Percy. Since when did you become all interested in what's happening with my family and school and Olympus? You never ask me about that stuff."

"Since I started dating you," Percy replied, grinning at Annabeth. "I figured it was polite for a guy to spend time to know what's going on in his girlfriend's life."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Percy, it's sweet and all that you're trying to do this, but really? Are you even interested?"

"Yes. So, how's school?" Percy tried his best to listen, but he couldn't concentrate. Annabeth talked about different classes and projects that she'd been doing, but all Percy could think about was how he may not have this for much longer. Percy had a feeling that Annabeth was going to leave them, and leave them very soon. And he had a feeling that her absence was going to affect the war in some way. But how?

**Feel free to leave flames. That was awful. That's all I'm going to say about it though. I don't think you guys want to hear the list of what's wrong with it. **

**So remember, my other two stories are on temporary hiatus! I'm trying my hardest to finish this! Just a warning, the next, uh, three chapters will probably be a tad bit short like this one. I have to get to a certain part and I'm getting impatient because I really want to post it and hear your guys' reviews! So, yeah. Short chapters. **

**One more thing. I feel like I've been putting way to much Percabeth in this story. Thoughts? Be completely honest; I won't be offended. :P**

**Ta ta! **

**"For by the grace given me, I say to everyone of you: do not think of yourself more highly then you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgement, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you." Romans 12:3**


	16. Chapter 16

**Oh my gods! I have over 100 reviews! You guys are amazing! Thank you so much!**

**Have you guys heard that Arachne is going to be in the MoA? Percabeth!**

**This is just another filler chapter guys. Just a heads up. But it has Percabeth in it! **

**Disclaimer: Rick Riordan owns the rights to PJO. **

Chapter 16 - Percy

Percy brushed the hair out of Annabeth's face while she slept. His arm was wrapped around her waist, annd she was curled up against his chest. They were out on the deck again tonight. Annabeth was going to sleep in her bed, but Percy had convinced her to spend the night with him on the deck again that night. Instead of sleeping in the chair, the couple had spread out blankets and camped out on those. The rhythmic sound of Annabeth breathing should've sent Percy to sleep, but it didn't work tonight. All he could think about was their quest. As he stared up at the twinkling stars in the night sky, Percy thought about all of the warnings he'd received about Annabeth: how she has to complete a dangerous task, how she probably won't survive, how he has to protect her. Percy loved Annabeth and all, but he wasn't sure if he was brave enough - or strong enough, for that matter - to protect her from the wrath of Gaea and her giants.

Annabeth shifted in her sleep. Her blonde curls fell back across her face. Percy smiled. She really was beautiful. When she was asleep, she seemed so sweet and innocent, with her eyelids fluttering every now and then and her soft breathing. When she was like this, Percy couldn't imagine anyone attacking her and trying to kill her. Percy leaned down, brushed the hair out of her face again, and lightly kissed her lips. Annabeth sighed in her sleep. Percy wondered what she was dreaming about. Was it him? _Obviously,_ Percy thought cockily. _Who else could make her sigh like that?_

Percy sighed to himself and buried his face in Annabeth's hair. He closed his eyes and tried to block out all of the thoughts about their quest and the danger that awaits them at the Doors of Death. Instead, he thought of happy thoughts: his mom giving him a blue chocolate-chip cookie, not getting kicked out of Goode, taking Annabeth out to dinner.

He must've fallen asleep, because the next thing Percy knew, he was in a room with shelves full of books. _A library,_ he thought. Annabeth had taken him to one once. It had seemed foreign to him. Who needs a building full of books when you have the Internet?

"Oh, good," someone said behind Percy. "You're here."

Percy whirled around to see a woman who made his stomach flip and his palms sweaty. Her dark hair was pulled back into a sloppy bun, with a pencil stuck in the middle of it. She wore black, square-framed reading glasses. She wore a white blouse and skinny jeans with black flats. Her eyes just added to the whole librarian look she had going on. They were stormy gray and full of knowledge, just like Annabeth's.

"Athena," Percy said stiffly. Athena and him didn't have the best relationship. Aside from the fact that Percy was Poseidon's son, Athena thought that Percy was impertinent and ambitious and not a good match for her daughter. Percy thought that Athena was too stiff and that he was a perfect match for her daughter.

"I'm not too excited to see you either, Mr. Jackson," Athena replied. She was searching through a thick, hard-back book. She flipped through the pages carefully, taking her time to examine each word.

"Do you need something?" Percy asked impatienty. "Why did you bring me here?"

Athena looked up from her book, her gray eyes boring into him, like she was examining him the same way she examined those words. "I did not bring you here. This is a dream." She gestured to something behind him. Percy turned around to see a floating image wavering in the air. It showed him and Annabeth, both asleep in each other's arms, on the deck. Percy turned back to Athena, blushing. _There's nothing worse than being caught camping out with your girlfriend by her mother, who happens to be a goddess, _Percy thought.

"If this is a dream, then may I wake up up now?" Percy asked.

"Just because this is a dream, doesn't mean that you're not dreaming this for a reason," Athena scoffed. "I'm here to talk about my daughter. Annabeth." At the mention of Annabeth, both Percy and Athena looked at the image in the air. Percy reddened and glanced back at Athena, who was glaring at him.

"She's in danger," Athena continued.

"So I've heard," Percy muttered. Apparently, he wasn't quiet enough, because Athena's glare sharpened.

"I do not appreciate joking around, Percy," she said. "Maybe I should've chosen someone else to tell this to. But alas, you are the one person who loves Annabeth enough to protect her, even if it means you are to die."

"Are you just going to repeat what everyone else has told me?" Percy asked. "Because I really don't want to be reminded how I might be responsible for my girlfriend's death."

Athena slammed thebook she was looking through shut. "You will not speak to a goddess in that manner, Perseus Jackson," she growled. "If you do, every molecule in your body will errupt into flames, and you will cease to exist. Then there will be no one to protect my daughter."

Percy and Athena stared at each other. A silent understanding passed between them. Annabeth would never survive if they kept arguing like this. They had to work together in order to guarantee Annabeth's survival. Percy sighed. "What do you need to talk to me about?"

"As you know, Annabeth is in danger," Athena said.

"Got that," Percy murmured.

Athena glared at him, then continued. "But you don't know how grave that danger is. Annabeth is powerful; more powerful than any other demigod to ever exist in the past millenium. Gaea's army, they would do anything to get their hands on her."

"If she's so powerful, then why didn't Kronos sense her?" Percy asked.

Athena shook her head, a few hairs from her bun coming loose. "He didn't know the stories. He could've mistaken her for just another powerful half-blood, much like yourself. Or her powers weren't as powerful as they are now, with Gaea rising and all. But that's beside the point. Gaea will do everything she can to get to Annabeth. You need to protect her."

"What is it that Gaea wants?" Percy asked. "What does Annabeth have that makes her more powerful than any other half-blood?"

Athena looked at the floating image. Her eyes narrowed and she pursed her lips. "I can't tell you much. Annabeth has a sixth sense, one that allows her to sense power and see things others can't see."

"Really?" Percy said before he could stop himself. Stupid ADHD. "That's what the giants are after?"

Athena glared at him yet again. "It is much more valuable and useful than it seems, Percy. Her gift can be our key to victory or our key to defeat. Annabeth wasn't lying when she told Octavian she was the key to the whole quest. She's the key to this whole war."

Percy thought about what Athena just told him. So Annabeth had a gift that made her more powerful than any other demigod. She was either going to help them win or be the reason they lose. And it was Percy's responsibility to make sure that the monsters don't get to Annabeth. Just a normal day for the son of Poseidon.

"Okay," Percy said slowly. "So let me get this straight. Annabeth is powerful. Gaea wants to get to Annabeth. I can't let her. If Gaea does get Annabeth, we're toast?"

Athena nodded. "If you want to put it in a way where dumbos understand, then yes."

Something in her tone was different. She wasn't as sharp and hateful as she usually was towards Percy. Something seemed to be bothering her. But what could be strong bad enough that it bothered a god, especially Athena?

"Something's wrong."

Athena looked at Percy, surprised. "Why do you think that?"

"Your comebacks aren't as deceitful and thought out as they usually are. Something's bothering you. What is it?"

Athena sighed and looked back at the image. She stared at her daughter with love and care. Percy wondered if his dad ever looked at him like that. "Tomorrow. Percy, you must be ready to fight for Annabeth tomorrow. That's all I can tell you."

"Why tomorrow?" Percy asked. "What's going to happen?"

Athena shook her head. When she locked eyes with Percy, he didn't see the wisdom and cleverness that usually mixed in with the stormy gray. He saw worry and fright. Not something you particularly want to see in a god. "I can't tell you. I must go now. Zeus will-"

"Percy!"

Annabeth's strangled cry interrupted Athena. The two whipped their gazes off of each other and to the picture of Annabeth. She was thrashing around, kicking and hitting anything that was by her: pillows, blankets, Percy.

"Send me back," Percy demanded. "I have to see what's wrong with her." He started pinching himself, trying to wake himself up so he could calm Annabeth down.

"I'll send you back if you promise me one thing," Athena said, taking hold of his arm. She looked directly into his eyes and said, "Do not tell a single soul about this conversation. This stays strictly between us. It is immensely important that no one knows about Annabeth; especially Annabeth herself."

"I promise," Percy said in a rush. "Now send me back."

Athena let go of his arm and smiled sadly. "Good luck, Percy. And may the gods be with you."

(*********)

"Annabeth," Percy whispered gently to a thrashing Annabeth. "Annabeth, wake up."

"No, Percy!" Annabeth screamed. "Leave me! Run!"

Annabeth's words sent shivers down Percy's spine. Was it just a nightmare, or was it something more? Was she seeing a scene from the final battle? "Annabeth, it's all right."

"No!" Annabeth eyes flew open. "Percy, run!"

"Annabeth, I'm right here," Percy said. "It's okay. It was just a nightmare." Percy brushed the hair out of Annabeth's face and she looked into his eyes. Her eyes were filled with fear. Tears streamed down her beautiful face, and she was breathing shakily. She was lying on her back, with Percy leaning over her. "It's all right, Annabeth. It wasn't real. It was just a dream."

Annabeth let out a strangled cry and wrapped her arms around Percy. Percy pulled her up and held her while she cried into his shoulder. He rocked back and forth, saying comforting things and patting her back. Annabeth pulled away after a couple of minutes and wiped her eyes. "Sorry," she said. "Did I wake you?"

"Uh, no. I was all ready awake," Percy lied. "Nightmare?"

Annabeth swallowed. "Yeah." She didn't offer any other information, so Percy figured that he'd have to dig for information if he was to get any.

"What happened?" he asked.

Annabeth shivered. "It's not going to happen. Let's just forget about it." She buried her face back into Percy's shoulder and he rewrapped his arms around her. Judging from the tears hitting Percy's shirt, Annabeth was crying again. _It must've been really bad,_ Percy thought, as he gently stroked Annabeth's hair and kissed the top of her head.

"I'm sorry," Annabeth whispered after she stopped crying. "You probably need your sleep. Sorry for waking you."

"You didn't wake me up," Percy said. He wiped a tear off of her cheek. "Are you okay now?"

"Yeah," Annabeth whispered. "I'm fine. Just a little shaken." She smiled weakly at Percy to let him know that she was okay. She pulled away and tucked her legs underneath her.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?" Percy asked again. Annabeth gazed into Percy's eyes sadly, and Percy thought for a moment that she was going to tell him.

"It doesn't matter," she said instead. "It's not true. Just forget it."

"Annabeth, come on," Percy prodded. "If you can't tell me, then who can you tell?"

"I don't want to tell anyone," Annabeth said quietly. "Don't you get that?"

"Was I in it?"

Annabeth glared at Percy. "I don't want to tell _anyone_," she snapped. "Not you, not my family, not my mom, no one. So leave it alone."

Percy lifted both hands up in a sign of surrender. "Fine. I'll leave it. But just know that if you ever want to talk about it, I'm here for you." He tried to wrap an arm around Annabeth's shoulders, but she turned her back to Percy and curled up on the blankets.

"I'm going to sleep," she muttered quietly, barely loud enough for Percy to hear.

"Night," he said. But Annabeth didn't reply. Percy thought about what Athena told him; about being prepared to fight for Annabeth tomorrow. How was he supposed to do that with Annabeth mad at him? Percy sighed and rolled over. He wasn't going to get anything out of Annabeth anytime soon.

**Sorry for the length. Again, this was just a filler chapter. My goal is to post two more chapters tomorrow. Then I'll be where I want to be! **

**"Don't let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good." Romans 12:21**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey hey! Thanks for all of the reviews. So this chapter is pretty short because I had church this morning and small groups tonight(YAY!). And I can't think of anything to write. So, yeah. Short chapter. **

**So this chapter doesn't have as much Percabeth in it as the others do. I wanted to focus on the friendship between the others. Oh yeah! And I've decided that I'm going to skip the second chapter that's in Jason's POV. So this chapter will be in his POV, but the next chapter will be in Annabeth's. So sorry, but you're not going to get two updates today. Unless, I'm feeling generous. **

**Disclaimer: I'm a girl. Rick is a guy. So it's impossible for me to own the rights to PJO. **

Chapter 17 - Jason

"Okay, well that guy has some anger problems," Leo said, eyes glued to the TV screen(Or do you call it a screen when it's basically as big as the wall?). "Was it really necessary to snap his neck?"

Jason nodded. "Yeah. Like, why couldn't they have stabbed him or something. After all, it wasn't even the guy's fault for blowing up the supplies. It was Katniss's!"

Jason, Piper, and Leo were all in the game room watching the Hunger Games. It had been an uneventful day. No monster attacks, no gods, not even any mortal problems. It was almost dinner time and nothing had intervened with their quest. That had to be some kind of demigod record.

"Oh!" Piper exclaimed, pointing at the TV. "Rue's in trouble!" Jason smiled down at Piper, who was sharing the couch with him. She was leaning into Jason's side, which made Jason's heart pound. Her body fit perfectly underneath his arm, the same way that two puzzle pieces fit together. Her hair was in it's usual braids and it smelled like vanilla. She was watching the screen with a sad expression on her face. Jason's mind flashed back to the dream he had before arriving at Camp Jupiter. Aphrodite had told him that Piper is in some kind of danger. When Piper was like this, Jason had a hard time imagining anyone who would want to hurt her.

"Jason," Piper said, waving her hand in front of his face. "Jason are you okay?"

Jason blinked. He hadn't realized that he was staring at her. "Hm? Oh, yeah. I'm fine."

"Were you entranced by her Aphrodite-like beauty?" Leo teased from his spot on the recliner. "You were looking at her like she was Aphrodite herself."

Jason blushed. Leave it to Leo to go and make watching a movie wih your girlfriend awkward. "Leo," Jason said, "shut up."

Leo threw up his hands in mock surrender. "Whatever you say, Sparky."

The three of them turned their gazes back to the movie, where Katniss was frantically trying to find Peeta. Jason thought about what was going to happen when they arrive in Rome. Would Gaea's army be there waiting for them? Or would they Seven just have to go and attack them first? What would they Doors of Death even look like? What would happen if they failed?

At that moment, Frank burst through the door. Jason glanced back at Leo, who was wouldn't meet his eyes. _Leo still feels bad about the argument yesterday,_ he thought.

"You guys need to get up to the deck," he gasped. "Now."

"Why?" Piper asked, pausing the movie. "Is something wrong?"

Frank nodded grimly. "It's Percy and Annabeth."

(*********)

Jason followed Frank through the halls and up to the deck. The sun beat down on him as they stepped outside. The wind felt like fingers running through his hair, tousling it and then stroking his face. It felt like he was flying: wind in his face, energy running through his veins. It would've been the perfect day if not for the monster on the deck staring hungrily at Percy and Annabeth.

The monster looked exactly like a bloodhound. The only difference between a regular dog and this monster was it's eyes and mouth. It's eyes were a demonic red and glinting in the sunlight. It mouth looked like a regular dog's mouth: sharp teeth, drool running from it's jaws. But instead of it's regular rough, sandpaper-like tongue, it had a forked tongue, flickering back and forth. Judging from the way Annabeth was staring at it like it was a gigantic spider. Percy, on the other hand, was looking back and forth between the dog and Annabeth, looking rather confused.

Hazel stood next to them, sword in hand. She spotted Jason, Leo, Piper, and Frank and gestured frantically for them to get over there and help. Jason moved slowly over to the three demigods and the dog, pulling out his sword. "What is that?" he asked when he reached them.

"Laelaps," Annabeth whispered. "A dog who's destined to always catch his prey."

Jason suppressed a shiver. He had heard of Laelaps at Camp Half-Blood in mythology class. The story was that there was a fox, the Teimessian fox, and he could never be caught. The gods created Laelaps, a dog who could always catch his prey to chase the fox for eternity. Jason always found that story funny; a dog destined to catch his prey chasing a fox who could never be caught. But now, seeing Laelaps face-to-face, it wasn't so funny.

"If Laelaps is here," Hazel whispered back, "then who's his prey?"

As if he heard Hazel, Laelaps directed his fierce gaze to Annabeth, who was paralyzed in fear. "Uh, guys..." she said. "I think he's after me."

"No way," Percy muttered. "Athena didn't tell me..."

Annabeth looked at Percy surprised. "Athena told you what?"

"Nothing," Percy said quickly. "So how do we kill him?"

"Stab him," Jason suggested. "Scorch him. He's just a regular dog with exceptional abilities."

"Let's scorch him," Leo said. "Flame on!"

"Leo, wait!" Annabeth said, grabbing his arm. "Don't do that! You can't kill him alone."

"Yeah, Leo," Hazel said. "Let us help you." She stepped up next to him and gave him a sweet smile. Leo looked like he was melting. Jason heard Frank growl behind him. He figured he should probably intervene before a fight breaks out.

"Let's just charge and get this over with," he suggested. "We've all killed monsters before."

Annabeth shrugged. "Sounds good to me."

"On three," Jason continued. "One...two...thr-"

"Not so fast," someone said behind them. They all whirled around. Facing them was a giant elf. Literally. The guy had pointy ears and a small, pointy nose. His hair was dark and curly and he had pale skin. He wore a green suit, which really helped with the whole elf appearence. Jason probably would've laughed if not for the wicked sword in his hand and the evil look on his face. His eyes were gleaming in an evil sort of way, and he was smiling insanely. "Do you know who I am?"

"Uh, no idea," Jason answered. "The giant god of elves?"

Elf Guy groaned. "Why does _everyone_ say that?"

"Maybe because you look like one," Leo muttered to Jason. Jason cracked a smile.

"I'm the great giant, Hippolytus! Bane of Hermes, and commander of the army of Gaea," Elf Guy said. "And I have come to pick-up an important package for Gaea."

"Well, we don't have any packages," Leo said. He walked over to Hippolytus, as if leading him away. "Nice of you to come by. Ta ta!"

"Hmph! I will not fall for your tricks, little boy!" Hippolytus exclaimed. "I haven't come for a package! That was only a figure of speech! I've come for her!" He pointed his bony finger to Annabeth, who looked shocked and a little scared. "She is powerful. I can sense her right now. Hand her over, and both the dog and I will leave."

"Guys, just let him take me," Annabeth said. "I'd rather me get hurt than any of you."

"Forget it, Annabeth," Percy snapped. "You're not going anywhere."

"The clock is ticking," Hippolytus said. "One minute before I attack."

"I agree with Percy," Piper said. "Annabeth, we're not going to let you go."

"Guys, come on," Annabeth protested. "Can't you see that if I go with this giant, you guys will be safe?"

"No, Annabeth," Percy said firmly. He could sound pretty scary when he wanted to be. "You are not going anywhere."

Annabeth glared at her boyfriend. "Fine. We fight." Together, the Seven turned and faced the giant, weapons ready. Jason looked at Leo and Piper, who were on either side of him. They both had on their battle faces: tight lips, narrowed eyes, hardened expression. He probably looked the same. But when they charged, Jason's one thought was, _Something's about to go terribly wrong._

(*********)

And Jason was right.

They started out good. Both him and Percy, being invulnerable, distracted the giant. They stabbed at him and taunted him as Hippolytus tried desperately to stomp on them or skewer them with his sword. "You can't defeat the great Hippolytus!" he shouted at them.

"I'm pretty sure I can beat someone who has 'hippo' at the beginning of his name," Jason taunted.

Percy laughed. "Nice one," he said as he gave him a high-five. Jason grinned. The more he got to know Percy, the less jealous he was. They were actually starting to become good friends.

"Argghhh!" Hippolytus yelled. He stabbed at Jason, but he quickly got out of the way. The sword stabbed the floor where Jason was standing a few seconds ago. Leo's not going to like that.

"Dude!" Leo screeched. "That was quality hardwood floor! Do you know how much that cost to build the entire deck with that?"

Big mistake. Hippolytus turned around to find Leo, Annabeth, Hazel, Frank, and Piper all standing there, ready to stab him in the calf. "Ugh! More demigods!" Hippolytus said frustratingly. He scanned them with his beady, brown eyes, until he saw Annabeth. "If you won't come out of your own will, then I'll have to force you to come." He grabbed a screaming Annabeth and lifted her up off the ground, despite Jason and Percy hitting them with their swords.

"Percy!" Annabeth screamed. "Percy!"

"Annabeth!" Percy yelled frantically back. He turned to Jason. "We have to do something!"

Jason thought. How were they supposed to get Annabeth out of a giant's hands? He could fly up there. But then he'd have to deal with getting Annabeth out of Hippolytus's grip while fighting him off, and he wasn't sure if he could do that. Leo could shoot fire, but then they'd be risking hitting Annabeth. Then, Jason got it. "We have to make him drop her."

Percy blinked. "How?"

Jason grimaced. Minor detail. "Uhhhh, I could fly up and stab his arm?"

Percy looked skeptical. Then, he just shrugged. "Worth a shot. I'll distract."

Jason grinned and closed his eyes. He focused on the wind, drawing the wind towards him, the wind lifting him up. He opened his eyes and found himself hovering fifteen feet in the air. Annabeth was in the giant's hand right next to Jason, struggling to get out. "Help me!" she yelled at him.

Jason nodded and willed himself to go down a couple feet. He spotted a good spot to stab, in the middle of the elbow and the wrist. Jason raised his sword and penetrated the skin before him.

Hippolytus roared in rage. He dropped Annabeth, who fell screaming into Percy's arms. Jason sighed in relief and flew back down. Piper ran up and gave him a hug. Leo, Hazel, and Frank seemed to be more concerned with the fact that the giant was recovering from the wound.

"You thought that could stop me?" Hippolytus taunted. "You fools." He reached for Annabeth again, but Percy intercepted and stabbed his hand. He groaned, but pushed Percy out of the way. Annabeth plunged her knife into Hippolytus's palm, but that didn't work either. He still grabbed her and lifted her off of the deck again. Annabeth struggled against his grip, twisting, hitting, trying anything that might loosen his grip. But it didn't work.

"Farewell, my dear demigods," Hippolytus snickered. "I will see you again when Gaea's risen and taken over the world." After that, Hippolytus errupted into flames, taking Annabeth with him.

"Annabeth!" Percy screamed. "Annabeth!" He sank to his knees, his head buried in his hands.

"Percy, it'll be okay," Hazel said soothingly. "It aways turns out all right in the end."

"You don't get it," Percy said, his voice fragile and weak. "I promised Annabeth I would protect her at all costs. But I didn't. I let her slip out of my hands. Again. And know Gaea has her and she's probably going to die. It's all my fault."

"Uh, guys," Frank said. "We still have a problem." He gestured over to the spot where Laelaps sat, unmoving, waiting for his master to tell him to attack. Jason wasn't sure why Hippolytus hadn't told Laelaps to fight when the seven of them attcked him.

Percy glared at the dog. "You - you helped them kidnap Annabeth," he growled. "You sided with them. And you're gonna pay." Percy charged at Laelaps with Riptide in his hand and stabbed the dog repeatedly until it burst into dust. Then he collapsed again.

The other five were all silent. They didn't know what to do. Annabeth had been like their rock, the person that everyone depended on and looked to in times of trouble. She encouraged them and lifted them up. Even though she could be rash and quick to take offense, they all loved her. Now, with her gone, what were they going to do?

Percy answered that question for him. "It's going to be all right, Annabeth. I'm coming for you."

**Feel free to leave flames. I hated this chapter also. Next up, Annabeth! I promise this next one will be better! **

**No verse! Sorry, but it's late and I'm exhausted. **


	18. Chapter 18

**Hi! So I was really surprised when I saw all of the reviews I got for last chapter. And none of them were flames! They were all either good reviews or CC. Yeah! Thanks guys!**

**Guys, I am so excited to get to the end of this story. I have so many plans and ideas! I'm so excited!**

**Disclaimer: Need I say it? I don't own the rights to PJO!**

Chapter 18 - Annabeth

"Are you sure she's the one? She doesn't look like much," a gruff voice said outside of Annabeth's cell.

"I'm positive," Hippolytus answered. "She radiated so much power, I thought Gaea was there herself. And besides, she was the only daughter of Athena there."

Annabeth sank back against the cold, stone wall. What were they talking about? She radiated power? What power? Why did they need a daughter of Athena? Why her? Annabeth closed her eyes and tried to replay what had happened on the Argo ll in her head. Only one word crossed her mind: _kidnapped._ She had been kidnapped. An overwhelming panic grew in the pit of her stomach as she flashed back to the time she had been held captive on Mount Othrys. She remembered the feeling of being trapped and having little hope of escaping. She felt the same way now. But this time, she had more hope. She knew that Percy would come after her.

The cell door opened. Two empousa stood in the doorway, gesturing for Annabeth to come out. One empousa was holding a wicked bronze sword and was sneering at Annabeth, showing off her sharp, gleaming fangs. Her red eyes glowered and her black, curled hair was up in a ponytail. The other monster had red hair which matched her red eyes perfectly. She was smiling in a friendly way at Annabeth, but her fangs ruined the friendliness of it. These girls were exactly the kind of beautiful Annabeth tried to keep Percy away from, minus the red eyes and fangs.

"Hippolytus wants to see you," the red-haired one said. She was fingering a small dagger that was strapped to her belt.

Annabeth gulped and got up off of the wall. When she walked out of the cell, the empousa grabbed each of her arms and marched her down the torch-lit hallway. There were prison cells throughout the hallway. The sound of dripping water echoed along with their footsteps. Annabeth could barely see anything as she walked. There were torches every few feet and in every cell, but they didn't provide much light. Everytime Annabeth tripped, the empousa tightened their hold on her arms.

When the three reached the end of the hallway, they entered into a spacious room. It was made of rock, like the prison cells, and it had a giant throne on the far right wall. Bleacher-like seats filled the rest of the walls, making Annabeth feel like she was being dragged into an arena. Monsters sat in the seats, cheering about Annabeth's arrival. She felt like throwing up.

In the center of it all, was none other than Hippolytus. He was wearing a black Italian suit with glossy, black dress shoes. His hair was slicked back and he was smiling at Annabeth.

The empousa pushed Annabeth out into the center of the room. She stumbled, but regained her balance. She turned and glared back at the empousa, who sneered back at her. Annabeth turned her glare to Hippolytus. "What do you want?" she asked, her voice surprisingly sharp. " Where am I? Why am I here?"

Hippolytus's smile widened. He ignored Annabeth's questions and turned to the crowd of monsters. "Thank you all for coming!" he said in a booming voice. All of the monsters' noise died down and they all fixed their gazes to Annabeth.

"As most of you know," Hippolytus continued, "I went on a mission to invade the Argo ll and take a daughter of wisdom who bears the blessing of Athena."

What? Annabeth bears a blessing? Annabeth remembered a line in the prophecy: _She wears the blessing of her mother, but that does not save her from destruction._ Could that possibly be what this giant was talking about? What other blessing could there be? She ignored the questions that were revolving around in her head and tuned back in to what Hippolytus was saying.

"This girl here wears that blessing," Hippolytus said, pointing at Annabeth. " I give you, Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, and Athena's Chosen!" The monsters roared in applause while Annabeth tried to figure out what "Athena's Chosen" meant.

"What are you talking about?" Annabeth asked. "Look, I don't know what your talking about or why I'm here, but I can tell you, I would know if I had some kind of blessing."

"To answer your earlier questions, Miss Chase-"

"Annabeth," Annabeth growled. She hated it when someone called her Miss Chase; it made her seem posh and snobby. And the fact that Hippolytus was doing it to taunt her was unacceptable. "I go by Annabeth." The monsters roared, like they were reminding Hippolytus he just got busted.

"Annabeth," Hippolytus corrected himself when the noise died down, "to answer your earlier questions, you're in our underground headquarters. We keep our prisons and supplies here. Now, _you're_ here because you have a gift, a gift that could be incredibly useful to Gaea. Do you know what that gift is?"

"No, and I don't care , because I'm not going to help-"

"You have a sixth sense, Annabeth. You can sense power so well, you can practically see it." Annabeth felt something stir in the pit of her stomach, as she looked at Hippolytus. It moved with such force, such intensity, Annabeth almost collapsed onto the cold, stone floor. She gasped and clutched her stomach, begging it to stop. The force continued, pushing against her stomach in the direction of Hippolytus. When Annabeth looked at him, he was suddenly illuminated in a golden haze. Annabeth immediately understood. This sixth sense, this power that she possessed, it showed her power. Hippolytus said she could sense it so well, she could practically see it. That golden light, that was his power reflecting off of him. But Annabeth was confused as to why she hadn't known this before. Maybe it was because Hippolytus had awakened it. Now that Annabeth knew, there was no stopping this force that was within her.

"Why would that be valuable to you?" she asked once her stomach stopped hurting.

Hippolytus smile slyly. "So you don't know, eh? The way to the Doors of Death, it's unknown. Nobody knows where they're located. But there's a trail that leads to it. A trail of marks. Athena had left them in the first Giant War for the demigods to follow, hoping that Gaea's army wouldn't find out. We never did and the gods ended up winning the war. This time, it's different. We know that Athena has left marks to follow. And only you know where they are."

Annabeth processed the giant's words. So her mom left a trail of marks leading to the Doors of Death. The giants needed Annabeth, because she could sense the power of the marks. If they were able to use her, then the enemy had a free passage to the Doors of Death. But why? Annabeth remembered the dream she received from her mom. She had a hard task. Was this it? Was her mom telling her to cooperate? And one thing Athena had told her bothered Annabeth: _the marks will lead you to your destination, but it will also lead the enemy. _

"You want me to follow the trail and lead you to the Doors of Death."

Hippolytus nodded. "Exactly. Now, I have to ask you one more time: surrender. If you surrender, you won't be held in a prison cell, and you'll be given the luxuries our leaders are given. But if you don't, you'll be forced to stay in a prison cell, with little food or water."

Annabeth snorted. "You think you can bribe me with luxury and food? No, I won't surrender. Do whatever you want to me, but I will never surrender."

Hippolytus nodded, like he expected that. "Very well, then. You'll be held in a prison cell. We leave tomorrow, at seven a.m. sharp fo the Doors of Death."

"Wait," Annabeth yelled, interrupting Hippolytus. "Why are you just expecting that I'll cooperate? What happens if I don't?"

"If you choose to not cooperate," Hippolytus said slowly, like he was talking to a kindergartener, "then we'll kill off your friends and family, one-by-one, with every mistake you make. You make one mistake, one person you love gets killed. Starting with that boyfriend of yours. What's his name again? Piper Johanson?"

"Percy Jackson," Annabeth growled, gritting her teeth. She felt like a hammer had just rammed into her heart. If she didn't cooperate, Percy would die. Annabeth flashed back to the dream she had of her friends and family being tortured by Gaea. She remembered Percy's face, beaten up, full of sorrow and disappointment. That would happen unless she decided to help Gaea. She couldn't let it happen. Annabeth glared at Hippolytus, who was smiling at her in satisfaction. He had found a way to guarantee Annabeth's cooperation, and he knew it also.

"Savannah!" Hippolytus yelled. A girl around Hazel's age ran up from the front row of the bleachers. She was about five feet and had black hair that was a few inches longer than her shoulder. Her eyes were dark brown, almost black, much like her hair. She was pretty, but intimidating. She was the kind of girl who looked sweet and innocent, but could beat you to pulp in a second. When she looked at Annabeth, she had a rebellious sparkle in her eye. Annabeth figured she could use that to her benefit. If she could get this girl on her side...

"Savannah, take Annabeth to cell number three, please. The one with the other kid in it," Hippolytus ordered.

Savannah nodded. "Yes sir." She walked over to Annabeth and scanned her. Annabeth scanned her also. Savannah was wearing dark, nearly black, skinny jeans, with a tight, black shirt. A belt was wrapped around her tiny waist, a variety of tools strapped to it: a dagger, rope, some hooks, a sword. She wore a black leather jacket and black, lace-up boots. The black jacket reminded Annabeth painfully of the night Percy and her had a picnic out on the deck. She brushed the memory out of her head, forcing herself not to think of him.

Savannah pulled some rope off of her belt and tied Annabeth's hands together. The rough rope rubbed against her wrists as Savannah lead her away from the arena, the roaring monsters, Hippolytus, and to her prison.

They marched through the dark hallways in silence. The only time they ever talked was when Savannah snapped at Annabeth to go faster. Annabeth felt a little weird being a prisoner to a thirteen-year-old, but she wasn't focused on that. She thought about everyone she had left behind: Bobby, Matthew, her dad, her stepmom, her friends, Chiron, Percy. Especially Percy. Annabeth makes one mistake and he's dead. But if she cooperates, the gods have no chance of winning. What's more valuable to her? Percy or the world? It wasn't really a choice, really. She'd have to pick the world, even if they never knew what she had done, what she had sacrificed. But if Annabeth chose Percy, then everyone would die and she'd probably end up losing him. Annabeth's stomach twisted at the thought of never seeing Percy again. She pushed him out of her head again, before she burst into tears.

Savannah pulled Annabeth to a halt in front of a cell. It didn't have a torch in it like the rest of cells. The only light it provided was from the torches next to the door. Savannah pulled her hands away from Annabeth's wrist, and she reached for some keys that were strapped to her belt. She unlocked the door and pushed Annabeth inside. "This is your cell," she said.

"I figured," Annabeth replied sarcastically. She looked around. It looked like a traditional prison cell. It had the shackles on the wall facing the door. Annabeth could make out a pile of blankets and other neccesities in the far right corner. On the far left wall was a toilet and Annabeth could make out the figure of a person. She remembered Hippolytus saying something about there being another prisoner in her cell. Annabeth wondered who it was. A small square of light hit the floor in the center of the cell. When Annabeth looked up, a small, barred window was on the ceiling. The sky was dark and she could see part of the moon, telling her that it was night.

"Well, this is where you'll be staying until we leave for our quest," Savannah continued. "I'll be the person who escorts you places and watches you. I'd suggest you get some sleep. You have a long day tomorrow." Savannah turned around and locked the door. She looked back at Annabeth, and again, Annabeth saw that sparkle of rebellion in her eye. Annabeth wondered if Savannah completely agreed with what the giants. Judging by that rebellious sparkle, she didn't.

Annabeth watched Savannah go, then turned back around and walked over to the middle of the cell, right underneath the window. She wanted to talk to the person, but she didn't dare get any closer. Annabeth had no idea what kind of person he or she was. "Hi," she said.

The person turned slightly towards her. She couldn't see their exact features, but she could tell from the short hair and lanky build, that he was a boy. "So, I guess we're cellmates," Annabeth continued. "I'm Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena."

The boy turned his gaze completely to Annabeth. His eyes were like Savannah's; a dark brown, almost black. They sparkled with recognition, relief, disbelief, happiness. And fear. "Annabeth?" The boy's voice sounded really familiar to Annabeth. She felt like she should know it, but she couldn't place it to a person. But when the boy came out into the moonlight where Annabeth could see him completely, she recognized him. His dark, shaggy hair was dirty and tousled. His boyish face had a layer of dirt covering it, but his eyes were still sparkling. His black jeans were ripped, revealing a nasty gash on his knee. His black _Come to the dark side, we have cookies_ shirt was ripped also, but his black jacket looked okay. Annabeth suppressed a gasp.

"Nico?"

"Annabeth!" Nico ran into Annabeth's arms like a little boy reuniting with his mother. Well, to Nico, it was kind of like he was. In the two months that Percy and Annabeth were dating before Percy went missing, Nico had grown closer to Annabeth. Since he didn't have a home, Annabeth always made sure he had everything he needed before he took off for however long. Her and Percy hung out with him a lot when he visited camp. They had grown closer as friends and family in the time before Percy had gone missing and everything went sour.

When the two pulled apart from the embrace, Annabeth demanded, "What happened? Why did they take you? What did they do to you?"

Nico explained that originally, the giants had thought that since he was the son of Hades, he knew where the Doors of Death were. They had kidnapped him like they had Annabeth, but soon found out that he was useless. Nico had no idea where the Doors were.

"After they found out I was no use to them, they gave me a new job," Nico explained. "They told me I had to track you down. I'm so sorry, Annabeth. I didn't want to, but they told me that if I didn't, they'd kill the people I love the most." Nico buried his head in his hands, ashamed.

Annabeth patted his back. "It's all right, Nico," she comforted. "They would've found me eventually. And besides, I know how you feel. They told me the exact same thing."

Nico looked up. "They did? Oh, I'm so sorry, Annabeth. Percy..." He trailed off, leaving Percy's name in the air.

"So, why did they need you?" Nico asked, breaking the awkward silence.

"Same as you," Annabeth replied. "They think I can lead them to the Doors of Death."

"Can you?"

Annabeth paused, then continued, "Yes. I have this gift, a sixth sense. Apparently, I can sense power so well, I can see it. Hippolytus believes that I can use this power to find the marks that Athena left as a trail to the Doors. Lucky me."

Nico looked confused. "Trail? Marks? What are you talking about?" Annabeth explained to him about Athena leaving a trail of marks that lead to the Doors, and that being the reason the gods won the first war. "Oh," Nico said. "So now that Gaea knows about it, then they can use it to get there first. But why do they need to get there?"

Annabeth wondered the same thing. There had to be a good reason if they were kidnapping kids to get there. She had her suspicions, but she wasn't going to tell Nico anything. "I don't know."

The two sat in silence, processing the new information they had found out. "So, Nico," Annabeth said, in an attempt to lighten the mood. "I need to know why you never told us about this Roman camp you go to when you're not at Camp Half-Blood."

"Oh, about that..." Nico gave Annabeth multiple excuses for not telling them about it, and Annabeth came up with a flaw in every one. They talked until Nico yawned.

"You need sleep," Annabeth said. "You look exhausted. Have you slept any while you were here?"

Nico shook his head sheepishly. "No. The truth is, I've been too scared to. Everytime I close my eyes, I see images of what these monsters could do to me. I haven't been able to sleep since the night before they kidnapped me."

Annabeth felt sorry for him. Even though Nico was a demigod, there was still that little boy side to him. The side that got scared when he was kidnapped and that would cower in fear because of a nightmare about monsters. Annabeth smiled at him. "It's all right. I'm here now. You won't have any nightmares." She got up and grabbed two blankets and handed one to Nico. "Now go to sleep. You need it." But Nico was all ready fast asleep

Annabeth watched the younger boy as she wrapped her blanket around her body. For the first time since she had been kidnapped, Annabeth let her mind wander off to how much she missed Percy. She wondered what he was doing right now. Knowing him, he was probably still beating himself up about Annabeth's capture. She wondered if he was thinking about her the way she was thinking about him. She wondered if his arms felt lanky and useless without her to fill them. She wondered if Percy was missing her teasing him about pointless stuff, or practicing swordplay together in the arena at camp. She wondered if he missed brushing her hair behind her ear and staring into her eyes. She felt cold and exposed without Percy to curl up against. Annabeth thought about how she might never get to kiss those sweet, soft lips of his again, or run her hands through his silky, full hair. She all ready missed stealing his shirts from his drawers and wearing them in front of him. She missed the way their hands clasped together perfectly, or how she fit perfectly under Percy's arm. She missed hearing him whisper in her ear when she got jealous that no one could ever make him feel the way she makes him feel. She missed hearing the words, "I love you," come out of his mouth. She missed knowing that those words were directed towards her.

Before Annabeth knew it, she was asleep, her mind filled with thoughts of Percy and her old life. The one she probably won't ever get back.

**So, I liked the end of this chapter. The beginning was okay, but I liked the end. **

**So what did you guys think? Did I make you cry? Scream? Were you on the edge of your seat? Tell me in a review! Please. **

**One question: Will you guys still read the rest of this story if I don't finish it by the time the MoA comes out?**

**The part about Athena leaving a trail to the Doors of Death, and the giants having to follow it and all that jazz, yeah, I made that up. Just so ya know. ;)**

**So, I've got a quote instead of a verse. One of my best friends sent this to me.**

**You want to encourage people? You want to set an example and be the light? You want to **

**make a difference? It all starts with you; one choice, one decision. You have to **

**make the effort and take control of your attitude. You want to be the change? You **

**have to start at the bottom and make your way up. Change your heart and lift your **

**head up. Love people, care for others. Because change starts with you from the **

**bottom of your heart. **

**Anonymous **


	19. Chapter 19

**Oh. My. Word. Words cannot describe the emotions I'm feeling right now. I finished reading the MoA and, wow. I'm convinced that Uncle Rick hates our guts. First, he leaves SoN on a cliffhanger, then makes us wait a year. Then, the book FINALLY comes out, and i turns out to be another cliffhanger, worse then before! And now we all have to wait another AGONIZING year to the get the House of Hades! I am fed up with Rick Riordan. Anyone else?**

**If you want to hear my full rant and what I thought about the MoA and all that jazz, go check out my profile! It has that on there!**

**Sorry for not updating. I didn't know what to write, then the MoA came out, then I didn't know what to write again. So yeah. That's my excuse. But it doesn't matter because I hate this chapter anyways. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO. If I did, I wouldn't have ended the MoA like that. **

Chapter 19 - Percy

"This is all my fault!" Percy yelled, kicking the game room wall. "I can't believe this happened!"

It had been a day since Annabeth had been taken. Everyone was still in shock, but not Percy. He had been having little meltdowns randomly, yelling and beating himself up over Annabeth's capture. He would punch things, throw thinkgs, kick things, and yell. Percy suspected that it scared everyone else.

"Percy," Hazel said gently. "It's okay."

"No, it's not!" Percy whirled around to face the other five demigods, who were watching his meltdown. Five, not six. "You guys don't understand!" Percy grabbed a pillow and threw it at the nearest target, which just so happened to be Leo.

"Hey!" Leo said. "Not cool!"

Percy ignored him and ran his hands through his hair. He turned and faced the others, his hands balled up in fists at his sides. "No one gets it! This is all my fault!"

"Percy," Piper said. "It's all right. Annabeth will be okay. We'll get her back." Her voice was thick with charmspeak, but it wasn't affecting Percy. All Percy could think about was Annabeth. Was she okay? What did Gaea want from her? An overwhelming feeling of guilt consumed Percy. He was supposed to protect Annabeth from Gaea's army. He was supposed to keep her safe, even if it cost him his life. And he failed. Annabeth was gone, maybe for good. And it was all Percy's fault. He was a great boyfriend. "You don't get it," Percy said weakly. He sat down against the wall and put his head in his hands.

Hazel came and sat next to him. "Talk," she commanded.

Percy looked up. Hazel was staring at him expectantly, her golden eyes warm and inviting. Percy just stared back at her, his expression probably heartbroken. All of his will told him to not tell her why it was his fault, but he talked anyway. "I had one job. Protect Annabeth. She's powerful. Protect her. She's the key to the whole war. Protect her. But I failed. The one job that I could do without hesitation, without arguing, and I failed. Annabeth is in Gaea's hands and she's probably going to die. This all my fault." Percy felt a tear escape and trail down his cheek. This feeling that was broiling in the pit of his stomach was so overwhelming, Percy wanted to curl up in a ball and cry. He wanted to go back to all of the fun times he had with Annabeth, even before they were dating. Their first quest. Their journey into the Sea of Monsters. Circe's Island, when Percy turned into a guinea pig. When they danced on Olympus together, ignoring the disapproving looks they got from Athena. All the times they played Capture the Flag together and even against each other. Their first kiss. Everything, Percy wanted back, even the bad times, like the times they fought. At least Annabeth was with him and all right.

"It'll be all right, Percy," Hazel comforted. She patted his shoulder. "You're not alone. We all care about Annabeth too. We'll help you find her."

"Yeah, Perce," Frank said from the couch. "We'll help you. And don't feel bad. We all should've prevented the giant taking Annabeth. So, in a way, it's all of our faults."

Percy looked at his friends gratefully. He couldn't believe they were being this nice to him, taking part of the blame, even though it was completely Percy's fault. "Thanks guys," he said smiling slightly.

"Well then," Jason stated, smiling mischievously, "if it's all of our faults that Annabeth's missing, then shouldn't we be getting to work on rescuing her?"

(*********)

Their plan: sail to Rome. Find Annabeth along the way.

It wasn't really strategic, but it was all they could come up with. Annabeth had always been the one that came up with the plan and everyone just followed along. But she was gone. And now the six demigods were left with their pitiful plan to just keep going to Rome.

Of course, Percy wasn't okay with this. He thought that they should just forget their course completely until they got Annabeth back, but then Jason reminded him that they had to hurry up and get to Rome.

"And besides," Piper had put in, "the giants are probably bringing Annabeth to the Doors of Death anyway. We just need to continue our journey and believe that we'll see her there."

Percy did believe that he would see Annabeth in Rome. What he was worried about was in what condition; would she be broken and exhausted, or shining and rebellious, like she usually is? Percy tried so hard to believe that she would be okay, that the giants wouldn't hurt her, but he had a hard time doing so. Something in the back of his mind told him it wouldn't be okay in the end. What scared him was that it didn't sound like Gaea's voice.

Percy sat in the kitchen, eating a slice of blue pie. He always ate whenever he was worried or nervous. It was a man thing. While he ate, he thought of ways to get to Annabeth. Maybe he could try to convince his friends again to change courses? Or he could go off on his own. Percy liked that idea. The thing is, he'd never been on a quest alone before. He's always had Annabeth or Grover or even Clarisse. He didn't know if he would be able to survive on his own. His only other option was to follow his friends' plan and keep heading towards Rome, hoping that Annabeth would be there.

Percy thought about the prophecy. _Wisdom's daughter walks alone._ That meant that Annabeth would be kidnapped, walking alone without her friends by her side. Percy blocked out all thoughts of a beat-up, bleeding Annabeth, lying on a cold stone floor, the giants towering over her.

"Hey, Percy," Leo said, walking into the kitchen, interrupting Percy's mourning session. He had grease all over him and his forehead was beaded with sweat. Percy figured he had just come from the engine room. "What's up?"

Percy glared at him. "Oh, nothing much. Just hanging out in the kitchen, eating some pie. I'm definitely not worried about my girlfriend who was just kidnapped by the giants, and is probably going to die. No biggie."

Leo nodded. "I know you're worried. We all are. But she's gonna be okay. She's Annabeth, for Pete's sake!"

"How do you know?" Percy demanded. "They could be torturing her, for all we know, demanding for information she doesn't have. And all we can do is sit here and sail to Rome!"

Leo sat down across from Percy and held out a can of Dr. Pepper. "Want some?"

Percy looked warily across the table to Leo, who was still holding out the can of pop and grinning stupidly. Leo was different than the other demigods on this trip. Yeah, he was seriously ADHD, he was a little nuts, and he was better with tools than people, but there was something about him that stood out to Percy. Maybe it was his williingness to listen. The other demigods would've told him to calm down. Leo sat down and offered him Dr. Pepper. Percy took it and popped open the top.

"My mom died when I was eight," Leo said quietly.

Percy leaned forward, listening intently. He wasn't sure how this was going to help him, but he figured he should listen.

"We were in a mechanic shop, where my mom worked," Leo continued. "Gaea appeared. She told me she couldn't kill me yet. The Fates wouldn't allow it. But she could kill my mother." Leo paused and glanced at Percy, as if taking in his reaction. "I got angry. I caught fire and shot a stream at Gaea. She disappeared and the whole place burned down. My mom didn't make it out."

Silence. Percy stared at Leo. This guy, this funny, hyper, easy-going guy, thinks it was his fault that his mom died. It's been haunting him since he was eight.

"You're telling me this because I think it's my fault Annabeth's gone," Percy concluded. "Your mom died because of Gaea, but you thought it was your fault."

Leo nodded. "Yeah. You have to realize that it's Gaea's fault, not yours. You did everything you could to protect Annabeth. You fought your heart out. You tried to use your powers. But in the end, Gaea won. You can't beat yourself up over this. You need to forget the past and move on to the future. Forget about failing to protect Annabeth. Start thinking of ways to get her back."

Percy managed a smile. "Thanks, Leo. That makes me feel better."

Leo sat back, looking pleased. "Glad you took Little Valdez's words of wisdom to heart. Now, I've got to go back to the engine room before the engine blows up and we all die. See ya later." Leo took his drink with him and disappeared through the doorway.

Percy took a bite of his pie and thought about Leo's advice. He told him to move on. Think of ways to get Annabeth back. Percy can't dwell in the past; he needs to think about the future. Percy hoped the future involved getting his girlfriend back.

Percy put his empty plate in the sink and ran out the door.

(*********)

That night Percy dreamed of Annabeth.

It was dusk. The sun was setting in the distance, mkaing the sky a mixture of blue, orange, and pink. Percy was on a grassy hill surrounded by an army of monsters and demigods. Dracanae, empousa, hellhounds, Cyclopses were all armed with spears and swords. Demiods rode on horses, that were pulling wagons full of weapons and food. Over to the right stood another hill. A glistening city sat between them. Percy looked around the army and spotted Annabeth. She was being pushed out of a wagon by a young girl, probably thirteen. She had black hair and and dark eyes much like Annabeth's: calculating and intimidating. This girl reminded Percy of Annabeth in a lot of ways. She looked sweet, but Percy knew she could beat him in a fight easily. When she looked at Annabeth, Percy saw a sparkle of independence and rebellion in her dark eyes. Percy knew that Annabeth would use this to her advantage.

Annabeth didn't look so good. Her hair was falling out of it's ponytail. Her face had a light layer of dirt covering it. Her hands were tied behind her back and she kept stumbling around, like she was dizzy. The girl led her through the army towards the front where a giant stood.

"Here she is," the girl said in a bored tone. She walked Annabeth over to the feet of the giant, who Percy noticed was the same giant who took Annabeth. Hippolytus.

Hippolytus smiled. "Good. Thank you, Savannah. You can go get dinner now." Savannah nodded, untied Annabeth's wrists, and ran off.

Annabeth glared at the giant as she massaged her wrists. "What do you want, Hippolytus?" she growled. Her hair whipped around her face in the wind.

Hippolytus smiled. He turned to the city nestled inbetween the two hills. "What city is this, Annabeth?" he asked.

Annabeth turned her gaze to the city. Percy studied it also. It was beautiful. The stone buildings were built close together and many statues decorated them. Many people wandered the cobblestone streets; couples holding hands, families going to dinner, vendors selling merchandise. The Eiffel Tower glowed in the distance.

Annabeth face was pale. "Paris, France," she said.

Percy's heart fell. Paris wasn't close to Rome, but at the rate the army was going, they could be in Rome in at least three days. And once they got to Rome...Percy didn't even want to think about it.

Hippolytus nodded. "Correct. Now, daughter of wisdom, tell me, which way do we go to get to the Doors?"

Annabeth scowled. "I'm not helping you. Find the Doors yourself."

The giant laughed, like he was amused by Annabeth's defiance. "My dear girl, do you remember what happens to your little boyfriend if you don't cooperate? I would think twice before talking like that again."

The comment about what would happen to him sent chills down Percy's spine. He had a feeling that they were using him as some sort of punishment; if Annabeth didn't do what they said, something bad would happen to Percy.

Annabeth's face fell. She looked torn between cooperating or not cooperating but risking Percy's life. "Fine," she snapped. She glared at Hippolytus then scanned the city landscape. Her grey eyes glowed and her face contorted in pain. She gasped and doubled over in pain. Percy's instinct told him to run over to her and save her from whatever the giant was doing to hurt her, but he couldn't. This was only a dream.

Finally, the pain seemed to leave Annabeth. She looked up and pointed to the Eiffel Tower. "Go through the city. A few monsters live under the Eiffel Tower. They could be valuable additions to your army."

Percy knew that Annabeth was lying. She would never help the giants like that. There had to be some sort of help there for her; demigods, gods, centaurs, friendly Cyclopses. Someone on their side. Plus, Annabeth's face was a dead giveaway. Her eyes were trained on the ground and her voice seemed rich and careful, like she was trying not to scream out, "I'm lying!" Anyone who knew Annabeth wouldn't be fooled, but it seemed like Hippolytus was.

"Very well then," he said, waving over a beautiful teenage girl, who Percy knew was an empousa because she had red eyes and fangs. "Lena, go tell Sam that we're going into the city, towards that city." He pointed.

"The Eiffel Tower?" Lena said, looking at it doubtfully. She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine."

Lena ran off and Hippolytus turned back to Annabeth. She was still on her knees, holding her stomach. Hippolytus bent down and whispered in Annabeth's ear," You're very pretty, you know." He played with one of Annabeth's curls.

Annabeth pulled away and snapped, "I have a boyfriend."

Hippolytus laughed, like this amused him also. "Ah yes, but once Gaea rises, he will be tortured, then killed, along with all your other friends. Why not surrender now, leave this Percy Jackson behind, and rule with me? It would be much better than this state you're in right now."

Annabeth looked completely disgusted. "Excuse me?" she snarled. "I'm not surrendering anytime soon. You're evil. Everyone here is evil. I will _never _surrender to you, much less rule with you."

Hippolytus sighed. "Very well. Savannah, take Annabeth back to the wagon. She won't be of anymore use to me for a while."

"Yes sir," Savannah said, who was now back from dinner. She walked over to Annabeth and tied up her hands again. Percy saw a hint of a smile playing on Savannah's lips. She whispered something in Annabeth's ear, which made Annabeth smile slightly. Then she pushed Annabeth and barked, "Move it!" Savannah and Annabeth disappeared into the army of monsters.

The dream dissolved and Percy woke up in his cabin on the Argo ll. The ship rocked gently as it made it's way through the waves. Percy shook his head and rubbed his eyes as he tried to make sense of his dream. One thing was for certain. Hippoluytus was forcing Annabeth to cooperate by saying he's going to do something bad to Percy if she doesn't.

And he was hitting on his girlfriend. Percy was not okay with that.

**I know, I know. Worst chapter ever. I know. **

**Review, even if you didn't like it! Please! **

**I posted a new story on FictionPress. Please go read it and review! It's only the prologue and it's really short, but I want to know if the idea is good and if I should continue. So go!**


	20. Chapter 20

**I'm back again! Sorry for taking so long to update. School takes up a lot of your time! Who knew, right? **

**So, I think for the rest of this story, I'm going to alternate between Percy and Annabeth's POV. Okay?**

**BTW, I'm not a big fan of this chapter. Just so you know.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO. Or Savannah. **

Chapter 20 - Annabeth

Annabeth was dying.

She could feel it happening, the life slowly draining from her body as she ran on. With every step she took, she struggled to get enough breath and energy to keep her going. Her side was cramping up and fatigue hit her. It was a whole new challenge just to keep her eyes open. But she kept going. She had to get away. She ran past rivers and rocks, knocked away branches that just snapped back at her and hit her in the face.

Annabeth glanced behind her. The thing was getting closer, moving swiftly and subtly. Annabeth's heart pounded rapidly in her chest. Her breath caught. Her lungs burned and every i nch of her body wanted to stop, but she couldn't. If she stopped for even a few seconds, the figure would catch her. Annabeth picked up her pace.

Finally, she made it into a clearing. A creek ran threw it, gurgling and splashing, inviting her into it. The grass was a couple feet high and blowing in the wind, as if waving hello. It tickled her exposed calves and Annabeth would've laughed if not for the danger she was in. She looked behind her, but didn't see the figure anywhere. It made her uneasy, like it was hiding in the trees, waiting for the perfect moment to jump out and rip her to pieces.

When Annabeth turned back around, her heart stopped. Standing there was Percy, with his arms stretched out wide, inviting her into them. His face was glowing with warmth and comfort and and his green eyes dazzled in the sunlight, like the ocean. Annabeth wanted nothing more than to run into him and collapse. She walked right into his open arms. Percy stroked her hair and whispered, "It's okay. I'm right here." Annabeth choked back a sob.

Immediately, everything changed. Percy warm touch turned cold, and poison seeped into Annabeth's skin. It felt like she was locked in a vat of boiling acid. She tried to pull herself out of Percy's arms, but she was locked in. Annabeth could feel the poison enter her bloodstream. She felt like her whole body was on fire. Tears poured down her face. She screamed.

_What a sacrifice,_ a voice whispered through the trees, echoing in the clearing. _A perfect sacrifice._

Percy released Annabeth. She slid to the ground, her body still on fire, and curled up into a ball. She was dying, slowly dying, and no one was there to save her. Tears ran down her cheeks, falling onto her shirt. She was shaking uncontrollably; Annabeth wasn't sure if it was from the poison or her fear.

Annabeth looked up to see Percy. But it wasn't Percy. Standing above her, his mouth curled into a wicked grin, was Hippolytus. "Goodbye, daughter of Athena," he snarled. "Thank you for your service to Gaea." Annabeth shut her eyes as she slowly and painfully faded away.

(*********)

Annabeth woke up with a start. She looked around her. It was dark outside, and the moon was peeking out from behind the clouds. She was in a moving wagon, her hands handcuffed. Next to her, sat Savannah, a young soldier in Gaea's army and Annabeth's new allie. During the few days that Annabeth has been captive, Savannah and her had become friends. Annabeth learned that Savannah didn't agree with what Gaea was doing. She was acting as a spy for the gods.

"I've seen Gaea's plans for after the war," Savannah had told Annabeth one night. "They aren't good."

Annabeth groaned and sat up. The road was bumpy, resulting in an uncomfortable ride. "Hey," Savannah said quietly. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," Annabeth lied. This was the third time she'd had this dream. She remembered the feeling of the poison seeping into her skin and burning her insides. She shuddered. She was starting to think that her dream meant something. Was Percy going to betray her? Was she going to die? And what had Gaea meant about a sacrifice? Annabeth closed her eyes. She had to stop thinking these things.

Annabeth turned her attention to Savannah. She was staring ahead, deep in thought. Her dark hair was still in it's ponytail, with the exception of a few strands that were hanging in her face. Her eyes gleamed in the torchlight, giving her the impression of a demon. Annabeth didn't look so good. Her hair had long since fallen out of its ponytail and was now tumbling down in shoulders in long, curly waves. When she had caught her reflection in a river earlier that day, she had noticed how her face was coated with dirt and grime. Her t-shirt and shorts were ripped and tattered from being dragged around everywhere.

"Hippolytus is leading us towards the Eiffel Tower," Savannah stated. She lowered her voice as she said, "Now, what's really under that building? Because I know you were lying."

Annabeth shrugged. "Who said I was lying? You know, Hippolytus did threaten to kill Percy if I mislead him."

"You were lying. It was obvious."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Okay. You're right. There's a god who lives under that building. Eros, god of love."

Savannah nodded. "Do you know Eros? Are you sure he can help you?"

Annabeth wasn't sure. Gods could be so unpredictable, it was hard to tell if they'll help you with something or blast you with lightning. But she had no other choice. And she hoped that if she and Eros worked together...

"I don't know," Annabeth whispered helplessly. "But he better. I'm risking my friends' lives."

Savannah snorted. "A god of love living in the city of love helping a girl who is in love." She smiled at her joke. "It's ironic, really."

"I am not in love."

"Tell that to the blush that creeps onto your cheeks every time you talk about that Percy dude."

Annabeth glared at her. "If my hands weren't tied up right now, I might hit you."

"Glad to know I'm appreciated," Savannah said, grinning. Annabeth turned to the ciy of Paris. She remembered the last time she was here. It seemed like years ago. She remembered the thrill of being transported by Hermes to Paris, the satisfaction of being with Percy, the flutter of her heart that she tried so hard to ignore while her and Percy walked through the streets holding hands. Annabeth rolled her eyes. Maybe Savannah was right and she was in love.

Annabeth glanced at the sky. It was still dark and the moon was bright and high in the sky. "What time is it?" she asked.

"Half past midnight," Savannah said, checking her watch. "We're about an hour away from Paris. I hope you have a plan in mind, because you're never going to get to talk to Eros if you're with Hippolytus."

Annabeth grimaced. Yeah, minor detail. She would have to come up with some sort of plan to get away from Hippolytus before he saw Eros. If she couldn't...Annabeth didn't even want to think about it. Not only would she be beaten, but Percy would probably be killed. She wondered if she was making the right decision. "I have no other option," she said. "I won't last long here. I have to get back to my friends."

Savannah stared at the ground. "Hippolytus won't let you get away without a fight."

Annabeth sighed. "I know. That's why I'm hoping Eros will help me. A demigod can't defeat a giant by themselves, and a god can't defeat a giant alone, but together, a demigod and a god can."

Savannah grinned. "I hope this works. Because if it doesn't, you're dead."

(*********)

They got through Paris surprisingly easily. It was still dark outside and the city was mostly asleep. That probably helped.

They arrived at the Eiffel Tower around one-thirty. It was lighted up and made Annabeth's heart ache when she remembered the last time she was this close to it. Savannah exchanged a nervous look with Annabeth. Annabeth knew what she was thinking.

_What if this doesn't work? What if Hippolytus figures it out?_

Annabeth couldn't let herself think like that. There were so many ways her plan could go wrong, but Annabeth had to believe it was going to work. But something in the back of her mind was telling her that her plan was going to fail and it was going to cost her friends lives. For once, she wouldn't be right. Annabeth shrugged it off. It was probably just Gaea messing with her.

Savannah dragged Annabeth to Hippolytus. He was standing up front, next to an empousa, Lena, and a son of Hestia, Sam. Lena had dark hair and red, demonic eyes that bored into Annabeth, scouring for her secrets. She was one of the empousa who brought Annabeth to Hippolytus right after she was captured. Sam was Hippolytus's second in command. He had dark hair, but it was neatly cut, unlike Percy's shaggy hair. He had green eyes, but Annabeth thought Percy's were more deep and beautiful. Still, the sight of Sam made Annabeth ache for Percy, for her friends in general.

Sam smiled at Annabeth. Annabeth glared at him. "What do you want now?"

"We want to know where we go next," Hippolytus said. He was wearing a black Italian suit and his hair was slicked back.

"I thought I made it pretty clear that you were supposed to go under the Eiffel Tower," Annabeth growled.

Hippolytus rolled his eyes. "I know that, daughter of Athena, but I want to know _how to get under it_."

Annabeth thought hard. Eros lived under this building-she knew that for sure. But how did he get under there? There wasn't a trap door or cellar. Something sparked in the back of Annabeth's mind. Something her and Percy did on a quest...

"The sewers," Annabeth answered. "You have to climb through the sewers. That's the only way to get under the building."

Hippolytus looked skeptically at Annabeth. Annabeth did her best not to make it look like she was lying. She kept her hands completely still and she looked at the giant right in the eye.

Hippolytus looked away and turned to Lena. "Lena, stay with the army. Get them whatever they need, swords, drinks, pastries, whatever. I'm taking Sam, Savannah, and Miss Chase here to these new allies."

"Yes sir," Lena replied, walking off to oversee the army's needs.

"These better be good allies," Hippolytus snarled, leaning down so he was in Annabeth's face, "if I have to go through sewers to get them."

Annabeth stared right back at him, but her heart was pounding. Ever since they left Gaea's headquarters, Hippolytus had been on edge. He wasn't even nice to his army. He snapped and growled at everyone, not just Annabeth anymore. It scared her to think what the giant would do to her if her plan didn't work. "It's worth it," she stated firmly. "Trust me."

Hippolytus pulled away, scanning Annabeth's face, looking for any sign of a lie. Finally, he nodded. "Lead me to the entrance."

Annabeth lead Hippolytus, Sam, and Savannah to a nearby manhole. Her heart was pounding uncontrollably. This had to work. When they reached the manhole, Annabeth had to keep her hands from shaking as she lifted it up. She had no idea why she was so nervous; she had gone on quests more dangerous than this. She just had to control her nerves and she would be fine. "Here we are," she said.

The manhole was about two feet in diameter. Sam, Savannah, and Annabeth could easily get in it, but Hippolytus was a whole other story. He was much too big to fit. Sam looked at him, his face red. "Um, sir?" he said. "You might not be able to fit."

Hippolytus nodded, like he was used to it. "I know. Sam, Savannah, make sure Annabeth doesn't try to get away. And be quick."

Sam and Savannah nodded. Annabeth had to keep herself from smiling. This was perfect-she'd all ready gotten rid of Hippolytus, their biggest obstacle. Now the only thing she had to worry about was Sam.

(*********)

Sam went down first, followed by Annabeth and Savannah. On the way down, Annabeth and Savannah shared a smile. This might work out after all, Annabeth thought.

The sewer smelled like spoiled milk. The air was heavy and moist. It was dark and the three climbed down a rusty ladder. Annabeth couldn't figure out how a god of love lived down here. She knew Aphrodite and knew that she wouldn't be caught dead here.

They finally reached the bottom. Their feet splashed in the puddles as they landed, echoing throughout the tunnel. "So what do we do now?" Sam asked.

Annabeth brushed some hair out of her face. She looked around. The tunnel went right and left. To the left, was a light coming from the end. "Left," Annabeth confirmed. Sam looked at her for a second, like he was debating whether to trust her or not. He started walking down the left tunnel. Annabeth and Savannah followed. Annabeth's heart started pounding again, but not from fear. She was so close to Eros, so close to her key to escape.

The tunnel got nicer as it went along. Ancient Greece carvings appeared on the wall, depicting different love stories from the ancient times. The concrete floor became stone floor. The scent of sewer water disappeared, replaced by a scent of vanilla. Annabeth glanced warily at Sam, wondering if he was noticing the difference yet. He didn't seem to be.

But when they entered into a large cavern, Sam seemed to be slowly putting the pieces together.

The cavern was bright. Great crystal chandeliers hung in random spots on the ceiling. Victorian style furniture decorated the room. Statues of Greeks were in every corner. A furnace was ablaze and on the mantle was a picture of a beautiful woman in a Greek-style gown. Sitting on a couch was a very handsome man who's back was too them.

"Wow," Savannah murmured. "Do you think he's free?"

"Eros," Annabeth said.

Sam looked confused. "Wait. Isn't Eros the god of love? Aren't there supposed to be monsters here?"

Savannah drew her sword and ran over to Sam. She wrapped her hand tightly around his mouth and held her sword's blade to his neck. "You say one word and you're dead," she threatened. Her voice was deadly calm.

"Eros," Annabeth said again, "I'm Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena. I need your help."

The god turned around and Annabeth's breath caught. He looked about twenty. He had dirty-blonde hair and kaleidoscope eyes. He had a tan that looked natural but couldn't be because it was too perfect. When Annabeth looked into his eyes, she saw sorrow and pain. "What do you need help with?" he asked. His voice was raspy and ancient, nothing like his appearance. It surprised Annabeth.

She took a deep breath. "You know that Gaea is rising again, right?" When Eros stared at her blankly, she continued, "Well, she is. And her army has captured me. They're using me to get them to the Doors of Death. I need your help to defeat their giant leader and escape."

Eros stood up. "You have been kidnapped? By Gaea?"

Annabeth nodded. "By her army."

Eros shook his head. "And how do you expect a god of love to help you?"

"You're a god. I was hoping you could help me kill Hippolytus, the giant who's holding me captive. I can't kill him by myself. I need the help of a god." Annabeth widened her grey eyes in a pleading way. "Please," she added. "Help me."

Eros shook his head. "I would rather not get myself involved in this war. I would rather stay in my home, and mourn over the loss of my wife, Pysche."

That caught Annabeth off guard. "Wait, what happened to Pysche?" Psyche was Eros's immortal wife. Pysche was once a beautiful mortal whom all the men fell in love with. Aphrodite grew jealous and sent her son, Eros, to make her fall in love with the ugliest man ever. Eros had some arrows that make you fall in love if your pricked. Eros accidently pricked himself and fell in love with Pysche himself.

"Pysche got into trouble with Aphrodite," Eros explained. "As punishment, Aphrodite separated us. Pysche is stuck in Rome and I'm physically unable to go there."

Annabeth's heart broke for the old love god. She couldn't imagine not being able to see Percy ever again. Well, if this didn't work, she might not, but Annabeth forced herself to not think about that. "I'm sorry," she said. "I know what it's like to have no hope of seeing your loved one again."

Eros looked up at her teary-eyed. "You do?"

Annabeth nodded. "Yes. My boyfriend went missing for eight months with no memory. I had no idea where he was or if he remembered me. But I kept pushing. I was determined to see him again."

Eros leaned forward, intrigued. "Did you ever see this boy again?"

Annabeth smiled and nodded. "Yes. He's waiting for me back on the ship my friends and I are sailing on. So I really need your help. I have to get back to him and all my friends."

Annabeth sat and smiled sweetly at the god. She saw a flicker of compassion cross his face. Annabeth hoped she could relate to Eros and that he would have compassion on her and help her.

"I know what you are going through," Eros said sadly. Hope soared through Annabeth. "But I cannot help you."

Annabeth's hope died. "What? But you have to! You're my only hope!"

Eros shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry. If I help you, they might hurt my wife. I can't risk that."

Annabeth couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had gone all this way, accomplished so much, only to have her last hope reject her? "They'll hurt Percy if you don't help me!" Annabeth cried, her voice cracking. "They're using him as punishment. If I make a mistake, they'll kill him. Once they find out what I've done, they'll go after him! Please, help me."

Eros stared at Annabeth. "I am so sorry. But I can't help you. I'm not changing my answer."

Anger bubbled up in Annabeth. "I can't believe this. I was so sure you'd help me. I thought that since you were a god of love, you'd understand my situation. But you're a selfish jerk. All you care about is yourself. You don't care that because of your actions, the person I love most in the world is going to die. You're just as bad as Aphrodite."

Eros dropped his head into his hands. "I'm sorry."

Annabeth ignored him. With tears burning behind her eyes, she turned to Savannah. "Come on. Might as well get this over with." Savannah nodded and released Sam, who dropped to his knees, breathing heavily. She ran over to Annabeth and whispered in her ear, "What am I supposed to do? Sam is going to tell Hippolytus that I'm on your side and then he'll kill me."

"Threaten him. You're good at that. Or," Annabeth took a deep breath. "lie. Act like I captured both of you and talked to Eros until you broke free and took me back."

Savannah looked at Annabeth apologetically. "I'm sorry. I have no other choice. I really would rather not do that."

Annabeth managed a smile. "It's fine. I don't care." Under her breath, she muttered, "My life is ruined beyond repair anyway."

Sam ran up to them, sword in his hand. He glared at Savannah and said, "You are as good as dead once Hippolytus finds out about your betrayal."

Savannah smiled. "If he does." Sam glared at her and then grabbed Annabeth. He handcuffed her hands in front of her so that she could still climb the ladder up. In silence, the three teens climbed up the ladder to the streets of Paris.

(*********)

"She did WHAT!" Hippolytus cried. His elfish face was bright red and his hands were flying everywhere. He was yelling at Sam and Savannah as they retold the story of what had happened down in the sewers. Sam yelled at Savannah as she told Hippolytus her lie of being tied up by Annabeth, but he eventually stopped when he realized there was no point in arguing anymore. Instead, he glared daggers at Annabeth, who was sitting off to the side on the edge of a wagon. They were back in the wild again, travelling through fields of wheat and down dirt paths and through forests. They had camped in a field, much like the one in her dream. A small river flowed past soundlessly. The resemblence this place had to the one in her dream sent a shiver down Annabeth's spine.

"We got down there and she grabbed my sword. She began to tie us up and ran off to talk to some god. We eventually got out and overtook her," Savannah stated. Sam just rolled his eyes.

Hippolytus's lips were in a tight line. He stalked over to where Annabeth was at. "You," he said calmly, "have made a very bad decision. And guess who'll pay for it? Not only you, but your little boyfriend also."

Annabeth kept her eyes trained on the ground. Hippolytus's words stabbed her and made her heart feel like it had a million paper cuts. Tears burned in her eyes, but she would not give the giant the satisfaction of making her cry. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of anything.

Suddenly, Annabeth had the feeling she was being watched. She had this feeling only once before, when she told Hippolytus which was to go, through Paris or around. It felt like a presence was right behind her, watching her like a guardian angel would. Except this guardian angel can't protect her.

Hippolytus walked away from her. "Lena," he growled. The empousa ran over from her spot by the river. "Go send our best monsters to the Greek warship. Kill the son of Poseidon."

"Yes sir," Lena said and then ran off.

Annabeth glared at Hippolytus. "Your monsters won't kill him," she stated. "He's a lot more skilled than you think."

Hippolytus turned around. A maniacal energy burned in his eyes. He glared daggers at Annabeth. "Then you've obviously underestimated the skill of my best soldiers. Sam."

Hippolytus walked off and Sam took his place. The same energy thet burned in Hippolytus's eyes transferred to him. He fingered his sword's hilt as he said, "I really would rather not do this."

His hand flinched and Annabeth's face exploded with pain. Her right cheek tingled and spots danced around in her vision. She gasped.

Another sharp explosion of pain, this time in her gut. Annabeth fell to her knees. She understood what was happening now: she was being punished. Sam was supposed to beat her up.

If I had a knife right now, I could take you down, Annabeth thought.

Sam kicked her in the stomach again. Annabeth willed herself not to cry. She would not give him that satisfaction. I have been through much worse pain than this, Annabeth reminded herself. I have held up the sky. I have been stabbed in the shoulder with a poisonous blade. I have killed a Titan. This is nothing.

Sam stopped. Annabeth slowly stood up to show Sam that he hadn't hurt her. She watched him go as he walked off without a word.

"Let's go," Savannah snapped, putting on her evil soldier act. She grabbed Annabeth's handcuffs and pushed her along, towards the wagon Annabeth was held in. Annabeth kept her eyes trained on the ground. The reality of what just happened finally hit her. Because she was selfish enough to lie and try to escape, Percy was going to die. Her stomach throbbed, and it wasn't because of Sam's hard hits.

"Are you all right?" Savannah asked. They were alone in the wagon. All the monsters and soldiers were going about their business, ignoring the two girls. Savannah was looking at Annabeth in concern.

"I'm fine," Annabeth reassured. She leaned over and whispered in Savannah's ear, "I just need a way to contact Percy. To warn him."

The girls both stared at the ground, trying to ignore the sad truth: there was no way to contact Percy. Neither of them had a phone and Annabeth had no idea where he was. The only hope Annabeth had to hold onto was that Percy could fight off the monsters. But the way Hippolytus looked Annabeth right in the eye and told her that she had underestimated the skill of his best soldiers made her hope dissolve.

Something shiny on the ground caught Annabeth's eye. She peered at it curiously. It was golden and had Greek writing on it. A drachma. An idea sparked in Annabeth's mind. She looked at Savannah, a smile creeping onto her face. "Savannah, I need a rainbow."

**I feel like I started off well, but then it started dragging on. But that's just my thoughts. Next up, Percy! And the part about Pysche and Eros being separated I made up. I needed a reason for Eros to not help Annabeth, and I thought that was a perfect one. **

**Review! **

**"Don't be afraid, I've redeemed you. I've called your name. You're mine. When you're in over your head, I'll be there with you. When you're in rough waters, you will not go down. When you're between a rock and a hard place, it won't be a dead end-Because I am God, your personal God, the Holy of Israel, your Savior. I paid a huge price for you: all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in! _That's_ how much you mean to me! _That's_ how much I love you! I'd sell off the whole world to get you back, trade the creation just for you. So don't be afraid: I'm with you." Isaiah 43:2-5**


	21. AN

**Hey guys. So I'm thinking of discontinuing this story. The book has all ready come ou and it's really hard to write and I got one review for the latest chapter. And I've lost the feel to this story. So what do you guys think? Please tell me!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Hey, so the big moment fo truth: I'm discontinuing the story. I know, feel free to come after me with torches and pitchforks, but I've lost interest and the book's all ready come out. I think it's better if I stop.**

**So, I found this on my laptop. It's the final battle that I had written earlier. I reread it and edited it and decided to let you guys read it. This is just what happened to Percy and Annabeth. **

**Disclaimer: All rights go to Rick Riordan.**

"Move it!" Hippolytus yelled at Annabeth. She glared at him, but moved faster. Her hands were hurting from the rope that was tying them back. Her feet were sore from walking for so long, and she was exhausted. Savannah had tried her best to keep the monsters and giants busy so that she could rest, but all Annabeth could think about was the others and Percy. Especially Percy. Was he all right? Had he followed the marks that she left for him? More importantly, had she cooperated enough so that the giants didn't kill him? Annabeth took a shaky breath when she remembered the nights when the slept together on the deck, the feeling of his arms pulling her to him. She shivered.

Hippolytus pushed her into an arena-like area. Monsters lined the sides, cheering as they layed eyes on her, like she was a gladiator entering the arena. The sky was black and stormy, with a strange glow. Annabeth's eyes widened. The power of this place was strong; stronger than every other place where she felt it. No, this couldn't be it. She had pictured it differently. When she reached the middle, she saw that the floor had a big picture of a beautiful lady half buried in the earth. That confirmed it. Annabeth had completed her job. They were at the Doors of Death.

"Okay," Annabeth told Hippolytus. "I lead you here. You can let me go now."

Hippolytus laughed and threw Annabeth into the center. "Not quite, daughter of wisdom. Not quite yet." Annabeth glared at him as he turned to the crowd. Annabeth scanned it also, looking for a familiar face, a saviour. But all she saw were monsters.

"Monsters!" Hippolytus yelled. "Giants! I give you, Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, the goddess of wisdom, architect of Olympus, and raiser of our patron, Gaea!"

A gleam of bronze caught Annabeth's eye. She turned back to the crowd, who was cheering loudly, and spotted Percy at the edge of the crowd, crouching down with Riptide in his hands. Annabeth's heart soared with hope. Percy was here and he was going to save the day. Annabeth gave him a helpless look and he put a finger up to his lips, as if saying _shhh_. Annabeth nodded and turned her attention back to Hippolytus.

"This demigod is the most powerful of all," he was saying, pointing at Annabeth. "Why? Because her blood will raise Gaea!" It took a few second's for his words to sink in. The gleaming sword in his hands suddenly made sense. It wasn't to make sure Annabeth stayed in line. It was to spill her blood. Annabeth looked back at Percy, her eyes wide with fear. He was frozen, his eyes wide also.

"Annabeth," Hippolytus continued, "you see, having you lead us here wasn't the only reason we kidnapped you. You see, in the last Giant War, the blood of the strongest demigod raised Gaea. Except they escaped before the blood hit the ground. But that won't happen again. Am I correct?" The crowd roared in response. Annabeth was disgusted that her death was going to be a public event.

Annabeth glared at Hippolytus and said, "Bring it on."

He raised his bushy eyebrows. "Oh, we have a fighter don't we? The last demigod was a fighter also."

"And we see how that turned out," Annabeth snapped. She could sense Percy grinning behind her. Hippolytus growled and charged, his sword pointed right at Annabeth.

_Like a bull fight_, Annabeth thought. She calculated Hippolytus's stance, the way he ran, which hand he held his sword with. And at the last second she jumped out of the way, her hands still tied behind her back. She wriggled out of the ropes, and her hands were free. "Percy!" she yelled. He threw her her knife and ran to her side.

"I'm so sorry," he said. "About everything. Not preventing the kidnapping, not finding you sooner. Me getting kidnapped before all this happened."

"None of that was you're fault," Annabeth replied. The giant was preparing to charge again.

"Annabeth, I-"

"Giant's coming. You distract, I kill?"

"Don't you need a god to kill a giant?"

Annabeth smiled slyly. "I got that covered." Together, they charged the giant.

(*********)

Of course, everything had to go wrong.

Annabeth snuck around behind the Hippolytus, killing every monster that tried to stop her. Percy was in hand-to-hand combat with him and doing surprisingly well. If they killed him and found they others, they could close the Doors of Death and defeat Gaea. But nothing was ever that easy.

As Annabeth fought, she silently prayed to her mother to help her. While in captivity, Annabeth and Athena had developed some sort of communication system. Annabeth would randomly hear Athena's voice in her mind, giving her advice. She hoped it would work now. She didn't really know what she was wanting from her mom; maybe an army of vicious owls? But nothing seemed to get through.

_Mom_, she thought. _Mom! Help me here!_ Nothing.

_Mom!_

_Can't-through-barrier-no communication!_

Annabeth suddenly understood. The strange glow in the air; that was a communication barrier. The people inside can't talk to the people outside. Annabeth couldn't get ahold of her mom, or any other god for that matter. Well played, Gaea.

"Percy!" Annabeth yelled. "Stop! We need to go! I can't get help from a god!"

Percy must've thought that she said that she did get help from a god, because he fought harder, pressing the giant towards Annabeth. "No, Percy!" Annabeth yelled again. It was no use. He couldn't hear her.

The rest happened so fast. The giant turned around and spotted Annabeth screaming at Percy. He smiled, his lit up in victory, and raised his sword. Annabeth yelled Percy's name once more before the sword penetrated her side. All she heard, felt, and saw was the pain. A burning sensation sparked in her side than spread throughout her body, like a wildfire. Dots spotted her vision. She screamed and collapsed, knowing full-well that the battle was over and Gaea had won. Her blood was about to spill onto the ground.

Only it didn't. Someone pressed something against her side, soaking up all of the blood. It was part of Percy's shirt. "Come on, Annabeth," Percy said, lifting her to her feet. She leaned all of her weight against him. "Fight through the pain."

"Percy," she whimpered. "It burns..."

"I know, I know," he replied. "But fight through it. Listen, if you don't leave now, your blood is going to soak through this shirt. You need to run. Now!"

Annabeth moaned as he got up, clutching the ripped piece of shirt against her gaping wound. Percy was right; her blood was soaking through the shirt fast. She needed to get out of here. Monsters surrounded them, staring at them hungrily. They were ready for bloodshed. But she couldn't leave Percy. She stared up at him, drowning in his green eyes. "Percy, I can't leave you," she told him.

"Leave, Annabeth!" Percy said adamantly. "Now!"

Annabeth's eyes welled up with tears and she leaned up and pecked his lips. "I love you," she whispered as she ran off.

(*********)

Burning. The sensation surged through Annabeth, like her blood had been replaced with burning hot acid. Blood poured out of her side, soaking through Percy's shirt and dripping to the ground. Annabeth stumbled as she ran, tears streaking through the dirt coating her face.

"Help me!" she screamed. "Somebody, help!"

Annabeth climbed up a hill and collapsed. She had run far enough to get away from the communiaction barrier, but she could still hear the clashing of swords. The pain in her side blurred every thought except for one: the dream she had right after the spider attack had come true. Annabeth was dying. Soon, Percy would come running to her, but it would be too late. Annabeth started crying. She wasn't special. She wasn't an exception. She was going to die just like every other demigod who had ever lived.

"Help!" Annabeth screamed one last time. "Help me..."

Annabeth heard her name being called. Percy was running up the hill. He didn't look hurt. He had a gash running down his leg and he had a few bruises, but overall he seemed fine. Percy dropped to his knees and picked Annabeth up.

"I'm so sorry," he apologized again. "This is all my fault. I should've stopped them. If I had paid more attention-"

"Percy," Annabeth interrupted him. "Stop blaming yourself for something out of your control. You saved the gods by stopping my blood from hitting the ground. That was a huge act in itself. Your the hero of Olympus...again."

Tears dripped from Percy's face. "But I'm not the hero of Olympus. Hippolytus is still alive, and so are the other giants. The Doors of Death are still open and we are losing soldiers fast. And most of all, I failed to save you."

Annabeth choked back a sob. "You'll always be the hero of Olympus to me. Jason, Piper, Hazel, Frank, Leo-all of them are weak compared to you."

Percy held Annabeth close to his chest. They both clutched each other as they cried. Annabeth took in Percy's scent-the salty smell of the ocean. She ran her hand through his hair and cried into his neck. Annabeth felt Percy twirl Annabeth's curls and he kissed her head repeatedly. She could feel his tears fall and land on top of her head.

"I love you," he whispered. "I know I've never really showed it, but you are the best thing that's ever happened to me. Oh gods, I love you, Annabeth Chase!"

Annabeth kissed him. She threw everything into that kiss-all of the hurt and pain she had been feeling. All of the want and love she felt towards Percy. It seemed as if he was doing the same thing.

Annabeth pulled away. She was breathing heavily and rapidly, and it wasn't because of the kiss. She could feel her essence slowly fading, being pulled out of her body. She touched Percy's face, his eyelids, his lips. "I love you too," she whispered.

The last image she was left with was of Percy; his heartbroken face, his tears, his beautiful sea-green eyes, eyes that she will never see again.

(*********)

Percy's POV

She was gone. Annabeth had slipped out of his grasp again, and this time forever. It was all his fault. He hadn't prevented it. Annabeth had called his the hero of Olympus, but Percy knew deep down that he was a failure because he failed to save the person he loved most.

Anger surged through Percy's veins. His mind was wiped. He glared up at the sky. "Why?" he yelled. "Why'd you take her?" He looked down at Annabeth's angelic face. Her face was ghostly and beautiful in the moonlight. With every moment that passed, another knife stabbed Percy's heart.

"Please," he whispered, burying his face in Annabeth's hair. "If I mean anything to you gods, please don't take Annabeth. She doesn't deserve this. If anyone does, I do. Please, let me have Annabeth back."

A sharp flash of light flickered beside Percy and Annabeth. Apollo stood beside him, dressed in a full-out Greek tunic and toga. A wicked looking sword was attached to his belt. He looked solemnly at Annabeth's broken body. "The gods have heard your prayer, Percy," Apollo said. "And naturally, they sent me."

Percy stared at Apollo. "Why would they send you? She's _dead_! We need Hades or someone!"

Apollo smiled slyly, like he knew something Percy didn't. It made Percy uncomfortable. "She's not dead," Apollo stated calmly. "She's on the brink of death, but not quite there yet. She's in a coma."

Percy looked back down at Annabeth. Her body was cold in Percy's arms and she was unnaturally pale. Percy warily leaned down and put his ear to her heart. Yes, there was a faint beating sound. Hope soared through Percy. She wasn't dead, she wasn't dead, she wasn't dead.

"Well, do something!" Percy yelled at Apollo. "Go all voodoo and abracadabra! Heal her!"

Apollo shot a warning glare at Percy. "I don't do voodoo or abracadabra. I heal. There is a difference." Apollo gestured to Percy. Percy set Annabeth down and looked impatiently at Apollo.

Apollo kneeled down next to Annabeth. He studied her. Then he did something that completely disgusted Percy. He stuck his hand in Annabeth's gash.

"What are you doing that for?" Percy demanded.

Apollo held up a finger for him to be quiet. He took his hand out of Annabeth's side. It was covered in blood. Percy wanted to throw up, but something stopped him. Annabeth's gash was gone with no sign that it had been there in the first place.

"That was amazing!" Percy exclaimed. "A little gross, but..."

Apollo smiled as he fed Annabeth some ambrosia. Her chest began to rise and fall. "Well, I am the god of healing." He stood up. "That should do it. After about a minute or two, she should be awake and as good as new."

Percy sat down next to Annabeth and grabbed her hand. He brushed the hair out of her face. "Thank you," he whispered.

"You know," Apollo said slowly, "Annabeth is right. You are the hero of Olympus."

Percy looked up. "What do you mean?"

"If you hadn't stopped Annabeth's blood, it would've spilled and Gaea would be awake. Then Annabeth would actually be dead. You saved Annabeth and Olympus. So don't get down on yourself. You are a true hero, whether you think so or not."

Percy smiled slowly. "Thanks."

Annabeth stirred. Percy gripped her hand and glanced down at her face. Her eyes were fluttering. When Percy looked up to thank Apollo again, he was gone.

"Percy?" Annabeth said weakly. Percy looked back down and saw those beautiful grey orbs that he thought he would never see again.

"Yeah?" he answered, grinning like crazy. She was alive, she was alive, she was alive.

"Your armor's crooked."

Percy gave Annabeth a bear hug. He was laughing and crying at the same time. He ran his hand through her princess curls that fascinated him when they were twelve. He pulled away and cupped her face in his hands. "Don't ever scare me like that again," he demanded.

Annabeth smiled. Her eyes shined, illuminating her entire face in a ghostly light. She looked like a goddess, even with all the blood and dirt coating her face. "I won't," she promised. "Now let me fix your armor."

**Sorry, I ended it right there. But everyone knows what happens: they fighht, defeat Gaea, and win! Yay! So anywho, basically what happened was Annabeth lead Hippolytus and Percy to the Doors of Death. And just so you know, I came up with the whole sacrfice thing BEFORE the actual book came out. **

**Yes! I'm done! Now I can finish my other stories! And to replace this one, I'm going to post another story sometime soon. It's called Begin Again, and yes, it is inspired by Taylor Swift's song. And I promise I won't discontinue it! I really don't like to quit writing stories, but I felt like I should for this one. It wouldn't have been interesting if I continued. **

**Real quick, before I say good bye, I need someone's opinion. I've been playing around with an idea for an original story, and I want to know if it's a good idea of not. It's called Flight Risk. Here's the summary:**

**I come from a broken household. I grew up thinking love is a thing you see only in fairytales. I am twenty years old. I have let myself fall in love countless times. Everytime I get that feeling, I run. I am what they call a flight risk. But while I spent my life running, little did I know a boy spent his life waiting to unlock my heart.**

**So what do you think? Please tell me!**

**For the last time, bye!**


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